In The Wrong Time
by candelifera
Summary: Brianna just wanted to go on her holiday; instead she ended up being sucked through a time loop. Add in dealing with people from 2149, a Commander that she seems to have an undeniable attraction to and a group of sixers that want to kidnap her. OC/AU
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing apart from bits of the plot and the OC.

A/N I've decided to try my hand at a Terra Nova fic. For this story Taylor is thirty five and has never been married. Also Lucas will be his brother, not his son just for this story. I know the age is pushing it a bit but it fits the story. Let me know what you think!

Chapter One

_2010_

As yet another student sat on their blue kick boards I resisted the urge to bang my head against a wall. Instead I told the child exactly what I had told the other two students next to him;

"Your board stays on top of the water. If I see this one more time you'll be sitting on the edge."

The student cowered slightly; I could look scary when I wanted too. I raised my eyes up to the student's mother who shook her head and gave me an apologetic smile. I continued with the class, encouraging the young students to kick harder and praise them when they get the technique right.

At the end of the class I waved goodbye to students and parents before heaving myself out of the pool. I grabbed the basket filled with the kickboards and the lesson plan before unpacking it in the store room. I unpacked quickly, more than ready to get home and wash the smell of chlorine out of my hair. I grabbed my back and then headed out to the change rooms, waving at one of the other teachers as I walked past her lane.

I had been teaching kids how to swim since I was in high school and even though I worked as a history teacher I still couldn't give up being a swim teacher. Despite the odd student that would drive me up the wall, I loved being able to teach something different and something so necessary.

Upon getting home I did the first thing that I always did; took a long shower. I followed my normal routine for the rest of the night; dinner, mark assignments and then watch various DVD's before heading to bed. I followed this routine happily; my friends didn't get it. Most of them were still in the going out to clubs phase and getting drunk and sleeping with random people. For whatever reason¸ I had never been particularly interested in the party scene, more than happy to stay at home and watch a movie.

I did, however, travel regularly; being a teacher had its perks, especially when it came to holidays. I had planned my latest holiday to Fiji, wanting to partake in a more relaxing holiday than my previous ones. Having been over most of Europe and some of America I had decided to go on a holiday that didn't involve sitting in a bus every two to three days.

My suitcase was packed and ready by the front door and all I needed was to pack up my laptop and then head to bed. I hadn't planned on working today, being called in when someone called in sick so I knew I would have to go to bed early than planned.

My alarm woke me up at the crack of dawn and with a grumble I crawled out of bed. I do this every time I go away; I organise my flight far too early and tell myself that I won't do it next time. Still half asleep I ate breakfast quickly, running later than I would like from pressing the snooze button. I showered and dressed quickly, becoming more excited about my upcoming trip.

I re-checked my backpack, filled with my favourite books and some snacks for the flight. The long flight from Australia to Fiji was definitely going to require snacks and entertainment aside from the films on the plane. I mentally went over what I had packed, ticking off how many pairs of pants and tops I had as well as the multiple history text books I had just received. I wanted to flick through them before approving them as text books for my classes and even though I was on holidays I still enjoyed looking at history books.

I heard the distant sound of a horn and took that as my signal to go. I grabbed my suitcase, backpack and laptop and somehow managed to get out the door. I locked the front door and frowned when I heard a strange whirling noise, almost like a windy day except it didn't feel like a breeze. I turned around, my hand still on the handle of the suitcase and dismissed the noise as my mind playing tricks on me. I proceeded forward, trying my best to ignore the sound that still continued despite my ignoring it.

And that's when everything changed.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own anything apart from Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Two

I can't exactly describe the feeling that went through me; it was like being sucked through a vacuum. When I came out the other end of said vacuum I stumbled, my eyes blinking to adjust to the bright sun beating down from the sky. I could hear murmuring around me, a few worried shouts to someone and I forced myself to look around despite my pounding head and the nausea building up.

I have never been more confused in my life; I was surrounded by a group of people in what looked like a village. They were all staring at me with a mix of curiosity and uneasiness, looking around for someone to take charge of the situation. My hand was still holding on to the handle of my suitcase while the other was keeping hold of the straps to my backpack and laptop case. I let go of the suitcase to hold my hand up as what I assumed were soldiers approached me, their guns pointed directly at me.

What the hell was going on?

"Identify yourself!" One shouted.

I stared at him blankly, wondering if this was some kind of joke, "Where the hell am I?" I muttered to myself, peering around confused.

I couldn't see much but what I thought was a marketplace further down the dirt road. The people watching had moved away to give the soldiers space and were murmuring to themselves as they watched.

"I said identify yourself!" The soldier shouted again.

"Why don't you identify yourself?" I shot back, annoyed by his demands, "I mean, seriously, do you go around pointing your guns at _everyone_ or am I the exception?"

The soldier gaped at me for a moment, turning to look at his fellow soldiers perplexed. I scowled and returned to observing my surroundings, trying to figure out what was going on. Hadn't I just been standing outside my unit? Had I hit my head and was dreaming about this entire situation? Just to be sure I pinched myself, wincing at the pain that shot up my arm; definitely not a dream.

"Sir." The soldier that had been shouting straightened as another man arrived. The soldier lowered his weapon slightly to make room for the new man to move in front of him.

I eyed the new man, one of my eyebrows raised as I studied his appearance; he looked like a typical soldier. His cargo pants were black and I was certain he had a gun or at least a knife around his calf; the gun in its holster around his thigh and the one at his waist didn't escape my attention either. His black shirt fully emphasised the prominent muscles on his arms and chest and I didn't doubt for a minute that he could handle himself in any situation. His dark hair was greying slightly and I could make out a few scars on his face and down his arms. His grey eyes were looking at me with a mix of curiosity and distrust. Despite my apprehension about the situation I couldn't help but note the attractiveness of the new comer but I forced that from my mind as he approached me.

"How did you get to Terra Nova?" The man asked.

My brows furrowed in confusion and I stared at him like he had suddenly grown another head, "What the frack is Terra Nova?" I asked bluntly. Ever since becoming a teacher I had learnt to not swear so much. Parents didn't particularly appreciate it when their kid comes home saying a range of colourful expressions that they learnt from their teacher.

Everyone stared at me in confusion, the soldiers even lowering their weapons to look at their leader questioningly. The man frowned and took a few steps closer, stopping when I took a step back nervously; there was no way in hell I was going to get too close to this guy before I knew what the hell was going on.

"Who sent you? If Mira thinks that anyone here is going to believe you don't know what Terra Nova is then being out in the jungle has obviously done more harm than any of us expected." The man retorted shortly, crossing his arms across his chest. This only served to make his muscles bulge from underneath his black shirt and it made me want to inch further away from him.

Except now I was fully surrounded by soldiers. From my peripheral vision I could see a woman standing behind me, obviously a second in command by the way the other soldiers stood behind her, waiting for a command from either her or the man in front of me. She was dressed almost identically to the man except she had her weapon out and ready.

"What the hell is going on?" I exclaimed, beginning to get frustrated as well as nervous, "I don't know who Mira is and as far as I'm concerned there isn't a jungle this close to Melbourne."

_That_ seemed to get a reaction out of the man; he had begun to move closer to me but froze when I said that. He looked behind me to the woman, frowning with confusion. "Melbourne?"

"Yeah, you know the big city in Victoria, Australia?" I was waving my hands around by this point, hoping that the movements would help them catch on to what I was saying. I sighed, trying to calm down before asking, "Look, just tell me what state we're in."

"We aren't _in_ any state." The woman behind me said slowly.

I turned slightly to face her, "What are you talking about?" This was not going well.

"Australia doesn't exist here." She told me.

I eyed her sceptically, "Australia doesn't exist here." I repeated. "And this is Terra Nova."

The woman nodded, her eyes flashing behind me for a split second before back to me. It was enough for me to know that the man was behind me; I swung around quickly, unnerved to find him no more than a foot away. I did the first thing I could think of; I kicked him in the balls. If I wasn't freaking out I would have found the situation slightly hilarious; the soldier dropped to the ground, clearly shocked by my action as was everyone else.

The woman pointed her gun at me, having lowered it while we were talking. I glared at her while the man grunted and struggled back to his feet.

"Don't look at me in that tone of voice!" I scolded, sounding exactly like I did when I was reprimanding a student.

The woman stared at me like I was crazy and I was beginning to wonder if maybe I was. "I wouldn't if you didn't attack my commanding officer." She retorted dryly.

"Well maybe someone should tell him that sneaking up on confused people is bound to end with his balls being targeted." I think if her commanding officer weren't standing (or rather kneeling) so close she would have smiled.

The woman studied me before lowering her weapon and holstering it. "What's your name?" She asked, clearly having decided to take a different route of interrogation.

"Brianna Lee."

She nodded her head in acknowledgement, "I'm Lieutenant Alicia Washington. That," She nodded towards the man, "is Commander Nathaniel Taylor. He's the leader of Terra Nova." She explained.

I stifled a giggle at that; I had just managed to kick the man in a place where no man wants to be kicked and he was their leader. Alicia was clearly trying to think of the appropriate way to phrase her next question so while she was distracted I fished through my pocket for my mobile. I could feel their eyes on me as I pressed the button and watched the screen light up; I frowned when I noticed the zero reception I had and wondered where I would be able to make a call.

"What year is it?" Alicia asked suddenly, looking at me warily.

I blinked at the question, "It's 2010." A collective gasp arose from the onlookers and I frowned confused. "What year did you think it was?"

"I think we should go somewhere private for this discussion, Miss Lee." Taylor spoke up, his voice a mix of sympathy and shock.

I eyed him suspiciously not having noticed him recovering and standing up, "Why?" I certainly didn't want to be alone with the man.

"You're not meant to be here." Taylor said.

I snorted, "No shit, Captain Obvious." I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to move, "Look, I really need to get going so can you just spit it out already?"

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere." Alicia told me quietly.

"Why?" My gut twisted when I realised there was something extraordinarily wrong with this situation.

"We said Australia doesn't exist here." Taylor reminded me, "It doesn't exist because _here_ is eighty five millions years in the past."

This really sucks.

A/N thank you for the review! Let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own anything other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Three

I think I must have been too shocked to notice Taylor and Alicia guiding me off the street we had been standing on. It wasn't until I realised we were in an office with Taylor sitting behind a desk and Alicia standing to the side that I realised we had moved. I slumped back in the chair I was sitting on, running a hand through my hair as I tried to process what was happening. Clearly they were all insane; how could I have gone back _eighty five million years_ to the past?

"How...this...this is not happening." I finally managed to get the words out, unable to look at either of the two soldiers in the room.

"Somehow it is." Taylor said calmly. "You're Australian?"

I nodded, unable to form any more words at this point. I briefly wondered what had happened to my bags and then my thoughts strayed to being glad that I remembered to pack my favourite books. I could feel my face paling as I thought that and I thought for a moment I would throw up. Clearly the two soldiers thought that too because in the next moment Alicia was thrusting a bin under nose.

I took the bin from her and put it at my feet, giving them both a dirty look and pushing the unsettling thoughts away, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Taylor said with a raised brow.

I glared at him, "I'm sorry but I have two crazy people trying to tell me that I've been sent eighty five million years into the past."

"We're not crazy." Alicia said calmly, resting back against the Commander's desk. "What is the last thing you remember?"

I thought back to my morning, recounting what I did, "I was leaving my home; I'd just heard the taxi beeping. I was locking up my house when I heard this weird noise but there was nothing there when I turned around so I assumed I imagined it. When I started walking I just seemed to have been...sucked into something."

"That definitely sounds like going through the time loop." Taylor said leaning back in his chair. "You're from 2010." He stated, sounding almost impressed.

I felt my face heat up, embarrassed under their stares, "Isn't everyone else?" I asked nervously.

Taylor shook his head, "I was the first to come to Terra Nova in 2142 and Wash joined me after four months. We've been here five years now."

I gaped at him, "_2142_? Why didn't you just stay there?"

They both grimaced, "Humans destroyed the planet; the world is overpopulated and polluted to the point where you can't go outside without a breather."

"I'm kind of happy I didn't get sucked through to that then." I muttered to myself but I was pretty sure they heard me. "So, how do you get me back?"

It wasn't very encouraging to see their faces go completely void of all emotion. They glanced at each other uneasily and I felt my gut begin to twist uncomfortably again.

"You can't get me back, can you?" I asked feeling numb.

Taylor shook his head looking sympathetic, "Even if the portal worked both ways you wouldn't go back to your time."

"So I can never go home." I stated, trying to understand the words.

"No." Alicia said quietly.

At least they didn't give me false hope or sugar-coat their answers. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before bursting into tears at the thought of never seeing my family again. I had an older brother back in 2010 and while he acted more like a child than the thirty year old he was, I would miss him. The only good thing I could think was at least my parents had already passed away and I was at least comforted knowing that they wouldn't spend the rest of their lives wondering what had happened to me.

_What was I going to do now?_

I must have said that out loud because Taylor answered me, "What is it that you did in 2010?"

"I was a history teacher and I taught kids how to swim." I answered feeling like a robot.

They both looked impressed, "You can swim?"

I nodded, wondering why this was a big deal, "Yeah, I grew up near a beach and summer was always boiling so going in a pool was how I spent most of my holidays growing up."

"The beach near the colony is kept mostly guarded because only soldiers have been taught how to swim." Taylor admitted, "It would be good for the kids to be able to learn."

I perked up glad to have something to keep my mind off what had happened. "Well, I can teach them. I can even train others how to teach."

Taylor looked pleased by this and continued, "Your experience as a history teacher can also be used. Most teachers don't know much of the history before 2010."

I shrugged, "No problem, I teach that anyway."

"We better get you settled in then." Taylor said, rising from his seat.

I stood slowly, nodding, "Where will that be exactly?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't be sharing with anyone.

"There are new houses that have just been built for the next pilgrimage but they won't be arriving for at least seven more months so you're free to use one of them until your own is built." Taylor told me.

I nodded again and followed him outside. I didn't pay attention to my surroundings, wanting nothing more than to get to wherever it was that I would be living so I could settle in. Honestly, all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry my eyes out. This was beginning to feel worse than a nightmare; everyone watched me as I walked through the colony with Taylor leading the way and Alicia following us. I could hear the whispers begin as we walked past and I cast my eyes down to avoid seeing the bewildered gazes. I few of the soldiers we past saluted both Alicia and Taylor and even then I was met with curious looks and even some appraising looks by some of the more daring soldiers.

I was more than relieved when Taylor stopped outside a modern looking house. "You can paint it when you get settled in a bit more. Some of the women have dropped in some food for you so you don't need to worry about cooking for a few days." Taylor told me.

"Thanks." I said surprised by the kindness of the people. "I assume my stuff is inside?" I said questioningly.

Alicia nodded, "Some soldiers carried them over before."

"We'll speak in a few days, give you a chance to settle in." Taylor said and with a small nod, the two soldiers turned and walked off.

I sighed with relief and turned to my new home with curiosity. I pushed open the front door, surprised by the spacious living room that I walked straight into. The kitchen was more advanced than I'd anticipated or even considered and I wondered if I should have gotten someone to show me how to use the strange technology I was now faced with.

My stuff was by the door to the bedroom and with a sad sigh I wheeled my suitcase into the main bedroom and began to unpack, my movements feeling distant and sluggish. It was only then that I realised it was beginning to get dark outside; it had been morning when I had been sucked through the portal and apparently half the day went by in order to go back in time. And it had taken what was left of my energy although that could be because of the rise off overwhelming emotions and thoughts that I was now dealing with.

I left my laptop and backpack where it was by the bedroom door. Sobs began to wrack though my body and with the energy I had left, I kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed. I cried silently for who knows how long, ignoring my growling stomach and continued to lie in the unfamiliar bed.

It wasn't just my brother I was leaving behind; it was my entire life that I was currently mourning. I was happy where I had been; I had a close range of friends, a brother that I loved and a niece and nephew that I adored and now I would never see them again. It was too much to handle.

I eventually fell asleep and when I woke my eyes were heavy and crusty from the dried tears. I was slightly surprised to see it was light outside but my growling stomach distracted me. I crawled out of bed, curious to see what was in the fridge that I could eat. I studied the range of sliced fruits that seemed to have been put on a platter and decided that would do for breakfast. I took my time eating, pondering what I should do in my new home and I decided to find out where I can get supplies to paint the place, make it feel more like _mine_.

I showered first though; there was no way I was going out in public with tear stains still present on my cheeks. The warm water calmed me and I felt my body relaxing after a night of sobs wracking through me.

I hesitantly stepped out of the house, closing the door and locking it before making my way down the dirt path. I ignored the whispers that followed me as soon as people noticed I was outside. It was slightly humiliating having everyone watching my every move but I proceeded through the colony until I reached the market. I studied the different fruits and vegetables that were common for this period in time, able to identify most as the ancestor of fruits from back home.

I would have to ask Taylor or Alicia about the money situation. I added that to my mental list of things to ask as I continued walking around the market but I quickly become anxious to move on. It was nerve wracking to have everyone eyeing you from a distance. You'd think a teacher would be used to being the centre of attention but unless I was actually teaching a class I hated attention.

With my head bowed to avoid noticing the stares I was receiving I wasn't paying as much attention to where I was going as I should have been. Even though I saw the black boots in front of me I wasn't able to stop myself from crashing into Commander Taylor.

The first thing I noticed was the man was like a walking heater; I could feel his body heat practically radiating from him. My hands were braced against his chest to stop myself from falling over and his arms had wrapped around my waist to steady me. If I thought his muscles were noticeable from a distance then they were extremely impressive under my hands. My hands were low enough on his chest that I could feel the beginnings of his abb muscles and I was sure my face was bright red by now.

He chuckled slightly, obviously noting my embarrassment, and the sound vibrated through my fingertips. He helped me upright, a small smile on his face although I just knew that if he weren't trying to make me feel less awkward about the whole thing he would be smirking right now.

"I didn't expect to see you out so soon." He commented once my face was no longer a bright red.

I shrugged, feeling a little awkward as I was reminded how attractive the man was. I pushed my blond fringe out of my eye, thankful that I had remembered to tie my long hair up into a bun before I left the house.

"I was getting restless inside but I'm pretty sure I should've just stayed there." I admitted shying away from the looks I was receiving from the rest of the inhabitants in the street.

Taylor was standing exactly how I imagined a well trained soldier would; his hands clasped behind his back, standing straight and legs shoulder width apart. "Everyone knows that you're from a different time; they want to know what your time was like."

"It's kind of like this." I revealed, "Although we don't have dinosaurs outside our front doors."

Taylor chuckled, "I figured that might be the case."

I hesitated a moment before saying, "I have a few questions." I didn't know if I should go to him or Alicia about my questions.

He indicated for me to walk with him and I did so, "What are they?"

"What's the money situation here?" I asked, ignoring my awkwardness at asking about money; I hadn't like discussing it with bosses back home and I didn't like it any better here.

Taylor led me around the colony, giving me a chance to see the full settlement while we talked, "You'll be paid for your jobs as a teacher. We call our currency 'terras'." He explained.

I nodded, "Okay, next question; when can I start working? Or at least training people to help with swim lessons – only if that's okay with you though because we never actually discussed if you wanted me to do that and this is all very strange." I said in a rush, feeling my face heat again.

I never used to blush this much.

Taylor simply laughed, "I was going to let you settle in here first but if you want to start training up staff then by all means. You may have to teach your staff how to swim, and then teach them how to teach."

"Will the lessons be held on the actual ocean?" I asked, thinking about my time at some beaches where a pool had been built on the side to protect young swimmers from dangerous aquatic life.

Taylor looked at me curiously and I explained my reasoning, "Back home some beaches had an area of the beach that they had enclosed to make it safe to swim in."

"We have done that and there's netting around it just to be sure." He informed me.

He led me away from the colony and down a windy trail that slowly went from being a dirt track to a sand track. It was a fairly windy day even though it was warm. We stood on the beach watching waves crash into the shore and I observed the 'pool' that they had built in to the side of the rocks. It would be perfect for swim lessons; all I needed to do was find objects to use as kick boards for the students.

"Will this be okay for the lessons?" Taylor asked me.

I nodded, "It will be good except on days when it's raining or the weather's too rough."

He nodded, accepting my answer and began to lead me back to the colony, "There will be a few soldiers present whenever you hold classes down at the beach. It's just precautionary." He explained at my worried look.

"Thank you." I said suddenly as the colony came back into view. He simply looked at me questioningly and I explained, "Well, for one not telling someone to shoot me after I kicked you in the balls."

He smiled ruefully, "I'll think twice about doing it next time, that's for sure."

I laughed, "At least you can take it like a man. And thank you for giving me somewhere to live."

He stopped as we got to what I assumed was the entrance to the colony, taking in the huge gate in the middle of the fence. I could feel his gaze on me while I studied the outside of the colony, noting the huge field in front of the entrance. I turned my eyes back to him, blinking when I detected a frustrate curiousness in his gaze and unwillingly a shiver made its way up my spine.

"It's what we do." He said roughly, taking a step back, "Let me know if you have any more questions."

He nodded his head and walked away. It was hard not to notice the power and leadership in the man; it was clear just from the way he walked, how he presented himself. He was completely confident in his role as Commander for this strange colony. I could only hope I settled in to feel nearly half as confident as he did being here.

With a sigh I turned and began to make my way back to my house. Except this time I made sure to keep my head up so I could see what was in front of me.

A/N thanks for the reviews. Hope you're all enjoying.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own anything other than Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Four

I didn't see Taylor until two days after that. Alicia had stopped by and given me some paint supplies; I had completely forgotten to ask Taylor about that but she seemed to just know it would be something I'd want to do. I took the opportunity to ask her to show me how to use the strange cooking devices that were in the kitchen and life was much easier now that I could make my own food.

I'd spent the rest of that day painting the house, glad to have something physical to take my mind off everything that had happened. I didn't want to think about never seeing my family again; every time I did, my heart thumped painfully in my chest and breathing became difficult. Painting was a welcome distraction from painful memories and didn't give me time to sit around the house and mope.

The painting left me completely exhausted and I only had the energy to heat some of the food that had been dropped in by some of the families in the colony. I was grateful for those that had done that even though I was sure they wanted to ask me everything and anything about 2010. I'd have to figure out a way to thank them.

It was when I was sitting at the table in the living room that I heard a knock on my door. I had been writing out a list of lesson plans for the different classes, wanting to write them about before I forgot which level did what. I'd almost finished the last level when someone knocked and with a relieved sigh I went to answer it.

I was surprised to see Taylor; he had been weird when he left the last time I saw him. He was standing as he always did; arms behind his back and legs apart. I couldn't help but wonder if the man knew how to relax.

"Hi."

Taylor nodded his head in greeting, "Can I come in?"

I stared at him a moment, unable to stop the little voice inside my head telling me that this would be the first time I'd had such an attractive guy in any house I'd lived in. I stepped aside, however, to let him in and took a deep breath in only to have a wave of Commander Taylor hit me. Not only was the man attractive but he smelt damn good too; it was weakening my resolve and I fully blamed my being sent back in time and away from life as I know it as the reason for wanting to do nothing but jump the attractive, mouth watering Commander.

With these thoughts racing through my mind I was unable to look him in the eyes. I followed him into the living room, making sure that my eyes were lowered to the floor and I manoeuvred around him to resume my place at the table with the lesson plans in front of me.

"Was there something I can help you with?" I asked, hoping silently that my cheeks weren't inflamed.

Taylor stood still for a moment before slowly pulling out a chair and taking a seat. He didn't say anything, simply took one of the finished plans from the pile and studied it quietly. When he moved to look at the rest of the plans I took that opportunity to keep myself distracted enough to clear my head of his scent and the tingling feeling in my gut that I only seemed to get around him.

I wanted to bang my head against the table; I didn't even _know_ this guy! Hell, I'd only known him for three days and here I was practically drooling over him and fantasising about kissing him. Okay, so I hadn't quite gone that far but now that I think about it...

I stopped my train of thought there when I realised he was looking at me. It was the same look he had given me the other day; a curious and almost frustrated look with something else that I couldn't name. I began to wonder if people from his time could read minds; wow, that would be incredibly awkward.

"Commander?" I prodded quietly, unable to pull my gaze from his intense one.

That seemed to snap him out of whatever train of thought he was in. He cleared his throat and rested his arms on the table, "Are these the plans you intend to use?"

I nodded hesitantly, suddenly wondering if he didn't think they would be okay, "Is it okay?" The worry was clear in my voice.

"If that's what you use then it's more than fine." He said reassuringly.

We were both silent for a moment, Taylor having taken up staring at me again. I drummed my fingers on the table feeling awkward and extremely flustered; was he waiting for me to say something?

"How old are you?"

The randomness of the question didn't bother me seeing as the man knew practically nothing about me personally, "I'm twenty seven." I paused for a moment, wondering if it was over stepping some sort of boundary for asking but I decided to anyway, "How old are you?"

If my question bothered him in any way it didn't show on his face, "I'm thirty five."

He certainly didn't look thirty five; I mean, he had a few life lines around his eyes and slight greying in his hair but I put that down to being a military man. If this was how he looked at thirty five then there was no doubt that the man would age well.

"Is there a husband back in 2010 that will be looking for you?" He asked suddenly.

I blinked, shocked by the question and I could tell he hadn't meant to ask it. He opened his mouth to say something but I cut across him quickly, "No, there's no husband." I told him, almost sounding reassuring, "Only my brother and his wife and kids."

"I'm sorry. This must be difficult for you." He said sincerely.

I shrugged and gave a small smile, "I'll live."

He remained silent, studying me once again. Did this guy actually have a purpose for stopping by? Or did he just want to stare at me all day? It was making me extremely self conscience. I mean, I wasn't ugly nor was I average; my blond hair was well maintained and fell just past my shoulders. My blue eyes weren't quite as unique as his mixture of grey and dark blue coloured eyes but they were by no means bland. I'd received my fair share of compliments for my...cleavage and I had an average body shape although nowhere close to the shape Alicia was in physically.

Then, without warning, he was standing and I jerked away from him, unaware that at some point we had both been moving closer to each other. I was beyond mortified; I didn't go around kissing strange guys, no matter how attractive or good they smelt. I could tell he didn't get into situations like this either, his face blank but I could see anger rising in the depth of his eyes. I shrank away at that, feeling myself pale at the deadly look in his eye.

"Despite you knowing a lot about 2010 and acting like the sad girl taken from her home, I don't buy it." He hissed, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides, "The portal doesn't open randomly and it didn't even exist in 2010 so whatever it is you're planning don't think you can get away with it."

With that, the Commander turned on his heel and walked out the door. I jumped as the door slammed my heart racing as fear coursed through me. What the hell had just happened? He'd been civil the other day, didn't say anything about not believing my story and with a horrible thought I wondered if that was why Alicia had checked up on me yesterday. Did they really think I was some sort of spy sent to get information on them? Did this mean I couldn't trust any of them not to turn on me should someone say otherwise? What if 'Mira' told them I _was_ working for her? Would they cast me out without question?

I felt physically ill by that thought and instead of finishing the final lesson plan I decided to take a walk instead. With the day almost over, it was beginning to get cool so I grabbed my green jacket before stepping outside. Just like the other days the people on the street watched as I walked past and feeling overly paranoid, I wondered if they all suspected me like Taylor did. It was unsettling, trying to figure out if the gazes were simply curious or suspicious.

As I walked further from the colony my chest began to loosen and I felt like I could finally breathe. I found myself at the beach and I dropped down onto the cool sand and simply stared out at the ocean. The sun was setting directly over the water, the sky becoming a mixture of pink and orange and stars were beginning to shine in the darkening sky. I could almost make myself believe that I was at home.

Almost.

"You shouldn't be out here."

I tensed as Alicia – no, _Lieutenant Washington's_ voice called out. I'd actually considered the woman as a friend in the making but from the actions of Taylor, I doubted I could trust her. There was no questioning where her loyalties stood.

"Afraid I'll be sending secret codes into the jungle?" I retorted sarcastically, not turning my eyes from the setting sun.

I could hear her sigh before she stepped up next to me, the sand shifting underneath her weight. She sat down next to me, still wearing her military garb and gun.

"The Commander sent me out here to get you." She told me, watching me closely for my reaction.

I gave none, keeping my face blank, "That's nice."

Didn't I already have to deal with enough? Was it really necessary to dump needless suspicion on me as well?

She sighed again, "He didn't meant what he said."

"Then tell the man to grow a set and apologise to me himself instead of sending you to do it." I said harshly, pushing myself off the sand.

_Lieutenant Washington_ followed quickly, her military training giving her the advantage and was able to follow me easily, "He's got too much pride for his own good."

"Seriously? That's your excuse for the man being an asshole?" I stopped, crossing my arms under my chest. "Or maybe he's sending you here to try and convince me that he didn't mean it so I'll go back to believing that I can trust any of you."

Lieutenant Washington froze at that and grabbed my arm before I could spin away and continue marching back to the colony, "Brianna, you _can_ trust us."

I snorted and pulled my arm out of her grip, "I thought that before but I'm sure as hell not going to make that mistake again. Don't try and deny the fact that you're all waiting for me to disappear or find some sort of evidence that proves I'm not from 2010." I clenched my jaw and shook my head, "I have enough shit to deal with without adding all of you and your paranoia into it."

She didn't try to stop me as I walked away but I could hear her following me back into the colony. Instead of following me back to the house I was in I saw her disappear up to the veranda that Taylor was standing on at the front of the colony where his office was. I didn't doubt that she was giving him an entire play by play of what had been said between us.

My sight became blurred by the tears welling up in my eyes but I refused to let them fall, blinking them away. I was not going to let this affect me, I told myself firmly. I had to stay strong; I had to survive in this bizarre new world. I couldn't let them get to me.

It was definitely easier said than done.

A/N so it wouldn't be a romance story if it didn't have some drama. There's an excuse for why Taylor acted the way he did but that's got to take a few more chapters before that bit comes out. I want their relationship to seem realistic, not just jumping straight to sex and living together. Hope you all liked it and thanks for the reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own anything other than Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Five

I tried to keep myself distracted for the rest of the night by doing everything and anything I could think of. I finished the final lesson plan and then promptly began making copies by hand even though I was certain that I would have been able to do it a quicker way. Since all I had to do was copy out what was in front of me, it didn't take long to do the extra copy and before I could give myself a chance to think over the day I decided to start cleaning.

I very rarely cleaned as thoroughly as I do unless I was stressed; I began with the windows and worked my way around the house, scrubbing furiously at the already pristine glass until I was satisfied. From the windows I moved on to cleaning the bathroom, scrubbing the tiles in the shower and brushing up the few pieces of hair and dirt that had come into the bathroom since I had taken up residence.

I was at the kitchen when I heard a hesitant knock on the door. Very quickly I went from being stressed to angry; I stormed over to the door and practically threw it open. I smirked internally at the startled look the Commander gave me before his face was wiped of all emotion.

"What?" I barked, not caring for a moment that the man could easily throw me out of the safety of the colony.

He didn't flinch but did eye me curiously; I supposed I looked a little crazy. I knew my face was red from scrubbing down the benches and mopping the floor; my hair was probably tangled and coming out of the bun I had quickly done before I started. My anger increased even more when I saw that he was still ridiculously attractive despite how much I tried to deny it.

"I would like to talk about what happened earlier." He left no room for me to argue and moved to enter the house.

I blocked his way, crossing my arms, "I'm a little busy right now, _sir_," I said, sarcasm dripping into my voice, "Didn't you realise I was in here trying to foil all your hopes and dreams?" I leaned in to whisper like I had a secret, "Cleaning the place is how I get the message out."

I mentally cheered myself when he winced at my words, "We need to discuss this..."

I cut him off, "At the moment, all I seem to want to do is kick you in the balls again. You want to talk about how much of an asshole you are? We'd be standing here all night and I'm a little busy trying to forget the fact that I'm stuck eighty five million years in the past with no family or friends and now I get to worry about whether or not everyone I meet thinks I'm plotting against them." He opened his mouth to argue but I wouldn't let him, "So no, we don't need to discuss what happened. Piss off."

With that I slammed the door and went right back to cleaning.

I regretted the majority of last night when I woke up.

I didn't regret what I said to Taylor – I did a little victory dance in my head at the sight of his face as I slammed the door. No, I regretted cleaning the already spotless house until my muscles were sore and I could barely move without pain.

I blamed it on Taylor.

I probably was being a little unfair to the guy but seriously, he deserved it. I wasn't about to feel guilty about being a bitch when he deserved a whole lot worse than what I was dishing out.

I'd already decided to spend the day sitting on the couch and reading. It was the best I could come up with when I didn't have any comfort food. I wanted to whimper when I heard a knock at the door; why couldn't people just leave me alone? I decided to ignore whoever it was (most likely Taylor back for some verbal bashing) and continued to read.

"I know you're in there."

I cursed loudly, not caring for a moment if she heard me. With a groan I rolled off the couch and wobbled to the door, wondering if this conversation would end up like the one last night. I opened the door and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What the hell have you done to the Commander?" She asked, pushing past me and into the house.

I grunted at the impact before following her into the house, "Sure, come on in. Let's totally act like we're BFF's and you don't work for a lunatic." I muttered to myself as I flopped back on the couch.

She stood above me, her arms crossed over her chest. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she looked amused by something. She had a look on her face that was practically screaming 'I know something you don't know' and it was seriously frustrating. I closed my eyes, refusing to fall for the bait until she poked me in the arm.

"What the hell was that for?" I spluttered, rubbing my hand over the aching spot.

"What have you done to yourself?" She was definitely amused now, her stance relaxed.

I glared up at her, "I was cleaning; not that it's any of your business."

"That's right – it's how you're planning to foil our hopes and dreams if I'm not mistaken." She smirked.

I snorted, "Figured he would come and bitch to you."

"No he was pacing up and down his office recounting the whole conversation." She took a step closer, "Which brings me back to my original question; what the hell did you do to him?"

"Regretfully I didn't kick him in the balls again." I sighed mockingly.

"You need to hear him out." She said firmly and before I could argue she grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet.

I winced at her grip and protested as she began to drag me out of the house, "I'm still in my pyjamas! Will you let go of me?"

She ignored me as she dragged me through the streets and up to command central. Everyone watched as we walked past, some of the soldiers looking sympathetic and others amused. I was sure that if Taylor didn't know what his Lieutenant was doing before, he definitely did now. I'm sure the whole colony could hear me bellowing at the relentless soldier. She half dragged, half shoved me up the stairs to Taylor's office and I was able to glance at a reflection of myself in one of the windows. I felt my face heat up as she shoved me into Taylor's office without knocking; clearly she had already known that he was alone.

If things weren't tense between us before, they definitely were now. When she pushed me into the room I barrelled straight into Taylor and he'd had no choice but to catch me to save us both falling to the ground. It was the single most humiliating experience of my life; I didn't need to look at him to know he was dressed in his typical uniform and how that uniform seemed to double his attractiveness. I, however, was still dressed in my pyjamas that entailed a thin, white shirt that clearly showed off too much of my chest that was appropriate for public wear and shorts that barely made it to my knees. What made the whole thing worse was that when he'd grabbed me his hands had landed straight on my breasts.

I hadn't noticed where his hands were until my heart calmed and I noticed a strange feeling spreading through my shirt and onto my breasts. I looked down only to find his hands cupping me _there_. We both jumped apart, my face bright red and I crossed my arms over my chest to try and hide myself from his gaze.

I really wanted to slap him even though I knew it hadn't been his fault. Instead I turned my glare on Alicia who looked far too amused and pleased with herself than I liked. I turned on my heel to go straight back out the door and back to the house when Taylor clamped a hand on my shoulder to stop me. I didn't have a hope in hell at getting out from under his grip so I had no choice but to allow him to lead me to the seat opposite his desk and push me down.

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared, "You sending your soldiers to come kidnap me now?"

I wondered if he was considering banging his head against a wall yet. While my anger and lack of trust in the two of them were still very real, it amused me to know end to see how frustrated I could make the man.

He clenched his jaw and leaned back against his desk, "We all know it's the only way we could get you to listen to us."

"You think kidnapping me and groping me are effective ways in getting me to listen to you?" I retorted, raising an eyebrow.

A light pink blush rose on his cheeks and I couldn't help but smirk at him, "That was hardly what we had planned." He snapped.

"Well, that makes me feel so much better." I said sarcastically.

He exhaled loudly and ran a hand through his hair clearly agitated, "Look, I am trying to apologise for yesterday."

I shrugged, "I've yet to hear an actual apology from you."

"You are infuriating!" He groaned and I thought I heard Alicia snicker behind me, "I apologise for being, as you put it, an asshole."

"Can I go now?" I asked, sounding bored.

"That's all you're going to say?" Taylor asked incredulously.

"You can apologise all you like." I said quietly, serious, "The damage is done and we both know it. You want a reason to suspect me for something and I'm not going to trust you."

Taylor sighed, "I don't want a reason to suspect you. You're not the only one caught off guard by your arrival."

"You knew you were coming here; I walked out of my home expecting to go on a holiday." I snapped.

Alicia took a step forward, "There's more going on then you realise." She said quietly, defending her Commander.

I rolled my eyes, "I didn't ask to be shoved in the middle of whatever drama you're in."

"Unfortunately for you, you're in it." Alicia retorted, crossing her arms, "We don't suspect you of anything that _you_ did."

I picked up on her choice of wording and eyed the two of them, "What are you talking about?"

They stared at each other, clearly having a silent conversation as to whether or not they should tell me. They must have decided too because Taylor turned his gaze on me.

"Your arrival makes us...question whether someone deliberately brought you here for some other purpose." He said seriously.

I frowned, "Out of all the people in 2010, they chose me?"

"We don't think that they picked who would come through the portal, just that they wanted anyone from your time." Taylor explained.

"So you went all crazy on me because you thought I knew about it?" I asked feeling confused by where the conversation was leading.

He shook his head, "We have no way of contacting our future let alone yours. We..._I_ was taking my frustration at the situation out on you and for that, I'm sorry." He said earnestly.

I considered this new bit of information, pondering how I should react. The whole situation still made me not want to trust them except now I understood what was going on, or at least part of what was going on. I knew there was more to it but I didn't ask and they didn't tell.

"Fine," I said after a few moments, "But this doesn't mean I trust either of you completely." I said warningly, "We all know there's more you're not telling me and until that happens, I'm probably going to be second guessing everything you tell me and how you act around me."

They nodded in understanding and after a few moments I shifted uncomfortably. I was still in my pyjamas that were extremely worn and Taylor's roaming eyes didn't escape my attention. When he realised that I'd noticed him staring he didn't look embarrassed or ashamed, simply gave me a smirk.

"So...I'm going to go." I said quickly, feeling my face heat up _again_. I was really getting sick of blushing around the man.

"By the way," Taylor called once I reached the door, "Nice pyjamas."

I glared at him and gave him the finger before walking out and slamming the door behind me.

A/N so there's a bit of progress. I promise I'm trying to make the chapters longer and I'm hoping the next will be longer but I wanted to get this chapter out of the way so I can start building on their relationship. Hope you liked the chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own anything other than Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Six

_I felt arms circling my waist, pulling me in to a hard chest. I think my eyes must have been closed because I couldn't see anyone or maybe I just didn't want to. The hands around my waist trailed up to my arms, leaving a trail of warmth from their body on to mine. While I couldn't see the person, the man, I could definitely smell him; a smell that I was certain I'd smelt before. It was strangely familiar and comforting at the same time. It made me forget that I'd lost my family; made me feel safe and at home._

_I think I might have groaned when the man began placing feather light kisses along my neck. I could feel my heart thumping in sync with his, and I found my hands moving on their own accord up to his firm shoulders as his lips seemed to hit a painfully sensitive spot on my neck. _

_I couldn't handle the teasing anymore; I pulled away from him, intent on kissing him and forced my eyes open to do so. I could feel my eyes widening as I stared up at the man in front of me; Nathaniel Taylor was staring down at me intently and the small smirk on his face told me he knew the effect he was having on me..._

I jerked upright in bed, my breath coming out in short pants. As my heart calmed I groaned and dropped back down onto the pillow, flinging an arm across my eyes. Of all the people – of all the _men_ – I had to dream about _him_, didn't I? Of course I did, because he's the only man that's ever gotten such a reaction out of me.

It had been almost a week since our last encounter and while I'd barely spoken with the man since, I'd allowed myself to let Alicia help with organising people to become swim teachers. I'd been hesitant at the start, unable to stop from wondering whether she was helping out to keep an eye on me but I realised soon enough that she knew almost everyone in the colony. How was I going to get people to become teachers when I didn't even know anyone? Sure, I could walk from door-to-door and ask them myself but that was definitely bound to be awkward.

Despite this I found myself unable to stop from forming a friendship with the lieutenant. We'd found ourselves working closely together and even though the respect that she had from the people of Terra Nova and the soldiers, it was clear that no one was willing to overlook the fact that she was Taylor's second in command to try and get to know her as a person. I knew from the way the soldiers looked at her with respect and a healthy dose of fear that Alicia took her role as Lieutenant and Taylor's second seriously. In public she almost never broke out of her military persona – blank face, hard eyes and constantly sweeping the area for any looming danger. It was almost sad to think that nobody knew that the woman could also be incredibly funny when she wanted too and had bucket loads of humiliating stories about Taylor from their earlier days in the military. There was a soft side to her that I doubted anyone but Taylor and I got to witness; her loyalty to the man was impressive and I knew that same loyalty would be shared with anyone that she trusted.

A knock on my door broke me out of the trance I had gone into; why was it that someone was _always_ knocking on my door? I assumed that it would be Alicia and that was the only reason I didn't shove a bra on before opening the door. Of course I didn't check to see who was outside, simply opened the door before promptly slamming it shut again. I thumped my head against the door, mentally chanting 'why' in my head. Why did things like this happen to me?

"I thought we were past you slamming doors in my face?" Taylor's voice rang through the wooden door.

I cracked open the door slightly, enough so that he could see my face (that was once again bright red – maybe I should change my name to Bella) but keeping my body covered. "I wasn't expecting you." I muttered.

"Clearly." He said amused. He shifted, looking at me questioningly, "Can I come in?"

I hesitated; the man had already seen me in my pyjamas. This time it would be in the privacy of my home and after the dreams I'd been having about the man I didn't want to risk jumping him in my pyjamas.

"Give me a few minutes." I said, dashing off before he could reply. I left the door open for him to enter and I quickly put on a bra in the bathroom, shoved on a different top and gave my hair a quick brush.

When I came back he was standing in the living room with his arms behind his back. "And here I was looking forward to seeing you in your pyjamas again." He actually had the nerve to sound disappointed.

"In your dreams." I muttered, pointedly ignoring his grin, "What's up?"

"Wash has told me you've made progress on the swim school." He didn't elaborate, simply waiting on an explanation, the annoying grin still on his face.

Was the guy just trying to find reasons to annoy me?

"Knowing Alicia she's probably already given you a run down on everything." I said pointedly, "So why are you really here?"

Taylor's lips twitched, catching my attention and unwillingly I found myself wanting to kiss him. Immediately I looked away from him and began collecting the few dishes that were lying around the place. He watched me as I moved into the kitchen to place them in the sink. I still couldn't help but wonder if the strange man could read my mind, his eyes watching me heatedly as if he knew what I had just been thinking.

"Wash has only told me that you've made progress." He disagreed, "She told me to come ask you since, and I quote, 'swimming isn't her thing'."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Yes, she's already explained her immense dislike of swimming pools – crap, vomit and germs." I couldn't help but smile down into the sink as Taylor laughed, the sound warm and inviting, "What do you want to know?"

I didn't hear him move so when he spoke, his voice undoubtedly closer than before, I jumped slightly, "I know you've been out by the pool a bit and talked to a few people. I'd like to know what you think of the people who are interested."

I nodded, keeping myself busy so I wouldn't focus on the closeness of Taylor, "I've been setting up lanes in the pool. Alicia helped me make some lane ropes – the pool is wide enough to get three lanes out of it." I explained, carefully cleaning the glasses in the sink, "A few of the people that are interested have all said that they don't know how to swim – it isn't really necessary for them to be able to swim just as long as they're comfortable in the water. I've told them I don't mind teaching them before we start training. "

"I can have some of the soldiers help you out with that." Taylor offered, surprising me by taking a towel to dry the dishes. "Then you can start training them sooner."

I nodded, liking the idea of that, "Alright, anything else you want to know?"

"I'd like to see what you've done to the pool." If I didn't know any better, I'd say the man wanted to get me out of the house.

I eyed him, "Why? You can go out there yourself; you do remember you're running this place, right?"

"Not something I can forget." He retorted, "Back in 2142 we didn't learn to swim in pools and the only way you were able to learn at all was if you were in the military. We were taken by boat out into the ocean and ordered to swim back. The ocean then was full of polluted waste, dead aquatic life and I'm sure there were several human bodies. So your idea of a learning how to swim in a pool is slightly foreign to all of us."

I wrinkled my nose, disgusted by the vision of the future, "That's disgusting."

"You should've tried swimming in it." Taylor retorted dryly. "Since you're done cleaning, why don't we head down there now?" Even though he said it politely, I could hear the unmistakable sound of an order in the words.

I saluted him mockingly, "Sir, yes, sir."

I didn't stick around for his reaction, disappearing into my bedroom to change out of my pyjama pants. When I reappeared his eyes trailed over my body quickly before he looked away, heading for the front door. I did my best to pretend like I hadn't noticed, although a shiver ran down my spine against my will. There was just something about the man.

People were finally looking at me like I was a person and not an alien from another time. I may as well have been – from what I'd heard about the future 2010 was practically a paradise in comparison to how they had lived. I even managed to smile at some of the people we passed, recognising some of the women that had voiced their interest at becoming a teacher. I gave a small, friendly wave to some of the children that had rushed up to me excited when word had reached them that I was going to start teaching the kids how to swim. They had eagerly asked when they could start, if they could come and help set up the pool and one had even asked if they were going to learn in the actual ocean.

"You've got a lot of kids excited to start swimming." Taylor commented, watching me from the corner of his eye as we made our way through the colony.

I shrugged, "It's good that they're excited – it means they're less likely to be scared of the water. How accessible is the beach to the public?" Even though I'd been there a few times I'd either been with Taylor or Alicia.

"They can go whenever they want, although there are always a few soldiers patrolling down on the beach. Why?"

"Then it might be a good idea to build a fence around the pool and start some water safety classes in school." I was mostly thinking this out loud, knowing that I'd be the likely candidate for such a lesson.

Taylor frowned, confused, "Is it necessary?"

I gave him an incredulous look, "Do you want kids to start drowning? A fence is to ensure a kid can't just jump in without supervision. They need to know about some of the dangers involved in swimming in a pool and how to help others if they're in trouble without endangering themselves." I explained.

Taylor gave me an appraising look, "You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

I smiled shyly, "Well, that's what we were always taught when I was at school. I taught life saving skills every few weeks at the pool."

We walked the rest of the way in silence. It surprisingly wasn't an awkward silence, more like a companionable silence. It's nice to know I could walk with the man and not feel like I had to say something to fill the silence. It made me become fonder of him and I found my resolve to be distant around him fading at a frightening speed. There was no doubt he was a charismatic man and I could see why Alicia could follow him so loyally.

"Is it supposed to look like that?" Taylor asked me confused.

I was about to ask what he was talking about until I saw the pool. The lane ropes that Alicia had helped me set out had come off the hooks that were keeping them in a straight line. Groaning I knew that I would have to get in to fix them except I didn't have any bathers. I slipped off my shoes and ignoring Taylor's protests, I dived into the deep end of the pool and emerged half way. I grabbed the end of the two ropes that had come off and began to pull them through the water until they were straight again.

I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed Taylor's panicked face that he was obviously trying to hide. "If I can just jump in like that, what do you think a group of kids will do if someone isn't watching?" I called out half teasing, half serious.

"You could have warned me." He said gruffly, bending down to watch what I was doing.

I fiddled with the thin rope and then sighed dejectedly, "The waves are too rough; the lane ropes will have to come off after each time in the pool."

With Taylor watching my every move I swam to the other end and unhooked the ropes and began to pull it back over to the deep end. Taylor helped me get them out of the water and I could tell he was still shitty with me. Before I could move over to the inbuilt steps Taylor lent down, grabbed my arms and hauled me out of the water. I was too shocked to react until he'd let go of me and was casually putting the ropes into a neat pile over to the side of the pool.

"Was that really necessary?" I spluttered, well aware that I was standing there dripping.

He looked over and smiled arrogantly at me, "Next time you'll warn me if you go jumping into pools."

I wanted to smack the man but as the wind picked up I shivered and decided getting out of my wet clothes was a better idea then berating the smug soldier. I couldn't resist giving him an annoyed glare before trudging back toward the colony. A hand on my shoulder stopped me before I could get far and I turned with an exaggerated sigh toward Taylor. His face was blank except for a tiny speck of hesitation in his eyes. Wordlessly he grabbed the hem of my wet shirt and promptly began to peel it off. I'll admit I let out a squeal, surprised by his actions and blushed when I was left standing in only my bra and shorts. Before I could shout at him he unzipped his black jacket, his eyes never leaving mine and wrapped it around my shoulders for me to wear.

I'd never really understood why some girls go around wearing their boyfriend's clothes until now. There was something undeniably intimate about the moment, feeling his hands gently take off my shirt, his fingers brushing against the skin on my tummy. His jacket was warm from his powerful body heat and with my eyes still locked with his I slid my arms into the sockets of the jacket. He was left standing in only his tight shirt and barely seemed to notice the cold wind. Neither of us looked away from the other; he was standing closer than I remembered and the smell of _him_ was overpowering my senses although that also could have been from wearing his jacket.

I'll always wonder what could have happened if we weren't interrupted. A young soldier who I didn't know came barrelling towards us, a worried look on his face. Taylor stepped away from me to face him and I was left feeling almost disappointed and relived at the same time.

"Sir, the sixers are at the gates."

I frowned, wondering who the 'sixers' were. Taylor nodded, going into leader mode, "Get the sonic guns ready, and make sure the market place is cleared."

"Already done, sir." The soldier answered automatically, sidestepping to make room for his Commander to walk past.

Taylor didn't respond, simply headed back up to the colony in long, powerful strides and leaving me staring confused after him and the soldier. I followed as quickly as I could but by the time I got to the front gates, a group of soldiers and Taylor were already out talking to the 'sixers'. I peered through the fence, getting an eyeful of a group of people armed with guns and looked like they had seen better days. Taylor was standing at the front of the group not looking bothered at all by their presence and this was obviously not sitting well with the leader of the group.

When her eyes flickered past Taylor to scan the soldiers behind him they seemed to find my position inside the colony. When a wicked grin flashed on to her face I could see Taylor straightening slightly, obviously preparing himself for things to get ugly. When she turned back to face him she said something quietly clearly taunting him and I couldn't help but wish I was closer to hear what she had said. It didn't escape my attention that Alicia's head whipped around and found me by the gate before she was staring down the woman in front of her as well.

"You're not going to let her come out and decide for herself?" The woman raised her voice and looked back over at me, "Or is she already your lapdog?" I rolled my eyes and didn't move from my spot by the gate. "You've already got her tamed Taylor."

"No I'm just smart enough to know when someone's trying to bait me." I called back, already bored with the whole situation.

The woman smirked, crossing her arms, "You know what I think..."

"'I really need a shower?'" I cut in.

The smirk faded and she glared at me, "We'll see how long you last when you're out there."

"Since I'm not going out there, you won't get too." I replied, glad that I had pissed her off.

"We'll fix that for you soon enough." She retorted before turning on her heel and heading back to her rover.

I kept my face passive as I watched her get into the car; she said something else to Taylor but it was once again too quiet for me to hear. As the 'sixers' drove off I turned and walked back to my house before anyone could intercept me.

There was no doubt now that Taylor had been right before; someone had clearly brought me here deliberately. It didn't look like the woman had the brains to pull something like this off so I couldn't help but wonder with a sick feeling who had managed to pull me from 2010. The streets were deserted but I barely noticed, eager to get home and shower before Alicia or Taylor arrived at my doorstep. I didn't need them to tell me that they'd be by; I expected it after the woman directly spoke to me. She had been expecting me to be in Terra Nova. She knew the reason as to why I was brought here and that left unpleasant thoughts reeling through my head rapidly.

The peace I had felt down at the beach was now gone and I wished I was still on the high from Taylor's presence and smell. The warm water of the shower helped calm my nerves only slightly and I was left still feeling nauseous and I could feel panic rising in my chest until it hurt to breathe. I got out when I realised that and dressed quickly. My chest was still tight but I couldn't stop myself from continually thinking over what the woman had said.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts and panic that I didn't notice the pounding at my door. When I heard feet stomping through the house my panic increased and there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop it. I stumbled back until my legs hit the foot of my bed but I didn't have the energy to sit on the bed; instead I ended up sliding down until I hit the floor. I brought my knees to my chest and began coughing in order to clear my airways.

"Shit." I heard someone mutter and the next thing I knew large hands had wrapped around my arms and hauling me to my feet.

I began to struggle blindly, terrified by the person that was in the house. It wasn't until a paper bag was thrust over my mouth and I began to control my breathing did I realise that Taylor and Alicia were both in my room. Taylor was kneeling beside me with Alicia on the other side, both looking at me with undisguised worry. When I was sure that I could breathe again I pulled the bag away from my face and looked up at them tiredly; it wasn't the first time I had asked them this question and I began to wonder if I would ever have to not ask them.

"What the _hell_ is going?"

A/N so a much longer chapter than usual. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter; let me know what you think and I'll try and update as soon as I can.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own anything other than Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Seven

Taylor and Alicia refused to answer my questions until they were positive I wasn't going to have another panic attack. Alicia took my heart rate and blood pressure before grudgingly declaring me stable enough to hear what was going on. We sat down for the conversation, Alicia and Taylor taking the two seater couch while I sat in the armchair so I could study their expressions. While they were both poised and void of emotion I had a slight advantage in reading behaviours from being a teacher. It became like a sixth sense being able to tell if a student was lying even if they had a straight face while doing so.

"So, what's going on? Who the hell was the woman and why is she so sure I'll end up living in the forest with her?" I demanded, my questions rolling out one after the other.

Taylor held up a hand as I opened my mouth to blurt out even more questions, "If you don't stay calm we're not having this conversation."

"I'm calm." I practically growled, crossing my arms over my chest. "Get talking."

"The woman was Mira; she came in on the sixth pilgrimage just over a year ago. When it became clear that they had an alternative reason for being here, in Terra Nova, they left the colony and went into the jungle. We don't know where they're living just that they're working for people in the future that want to use Terra Nova as a place to get resources." Taylor explained.

"So basically they just want to destroy this place for money." I summarised.

Taylor nodded, "Exactly and when we caught on they left. We think that they have something to do with you being here."

"She didn't exactly look book smart to me." I commented with a small frown.

Alicia nodded, "That's why we think..." She cast a sideways look at Taylor and continued when he nodded, "...why we _know_ that they're answering to someone else who does have the brains to open the portal at your time."

I stared at the two of them, adjusting to this piece of news, "Do you know who it is?" I asked, suddenly cautious.

The look on Taylor's face told me that he knew exactly who it was, "My younger brother, Lucas, came in on the second pilgrimage. He's a genius and I discovered his research into opening the portal both ways. At the moment the portal can only go one way; from the future, to here." Taylor explained quietly, "I don't doubt that Lucas managed to open the portal to your time."

"Why would he want to? I mean, I get why they want the portal to go both ways but why would they want someone from my time?" I asked perplexed.

"That's the million dollar question." Alicia said dryly.

Taylor shrugged, "We can only guess that someone from your time – you – would have something valuable to them."

"After all of this we have decided to make sure you're not left alone anymore." Alicia told me after a small pause.

I raised an eyebrow, "You can't be serious." When Taylor didn't dispute his second, I protested immediately, "I don't need a babysitter."

"They're going to find a way into the colony and when they do, they're going straight for you." Taylor argued, his eyes daring me to deny it.

"So? I'll just kick 'em in the balls; it worked on you." I shot back angrily.

Alicia snorted but looked contrite after the glare she received from her CO. "This isn't up for debate." Taylor snapped, standing. "You can agree to this and we can work something out that we all agree on or I can lock you up in the brig."

I gaped at him, "Yes, because that's _really_ fair; I don't agree with you, so you lock me up." I crossed my arms over my chest, furious, "I don't need a baby sitter and locking me up isn't going to stop them if they really want to get to me." I pointed out.

Taylor opened his mouth to argue but Alicia stopped him, "I think she's right, sir." I didn't like the smirk Alicia was currently wearing. "I think I have the perfect solution for this."

"You don't say?" Taylor smirked, a knowing look in his eye; clearly they had already discussed this before arriving.

I didn't see him coming; one minute he was sitting next to Wash, the next he was by my side. I blinked and began to pull away as he pulled something out of his pocket; a set of handcuffs.

"Hell no." I said firmly, backing away from him, "Fine, have someone baby sit me." I conceded, praying that they were doing this to get me to agree.

Taylor shook his head, "You had that option before but we both know that you'll find some way to get around whoever's with you. This way you won't be able too." He sounded far too smug for my liking.

I went to dart away from him but Alicia anticipated this and blocked my path. Taylor all but launched himself at me, slapping the metal wring around my wrist before I could escape. He looked awfully proud of himself; I was glaring while Alicia took the other side of the handcuff...

... And then she slapped it over his wrist before he could say anything.

We both turned to stare at her shocked; okay, so I was amused and Taylor was shocked. It kind of made me feel better knowing that Alicia had gotten one up on him. But that didn't solve the issue of me being handcuffed to the man I was currently having very steamy dreams about.

"Wash" He growled warningly.

She smiled innocently at him, "Yes sir?"

"Keys, now." He demanded, taking a step forward. The step resulted in me lurching after him, stumbling slightly as I lost my footing.

"You said it yourself, sir; she needs to be with someone that can make sure she stays safe." She looked a little too proud of herself right now. "And we both know no sixers are going to go near her while she's so closely...attached to you, sir." I really wanted to slap the wicked grin off her face right now.

I anticipated Taylor protesting and ordering her to take them off except he didn't. He eyed her calculatingly before nodding, "I accept your reasoning Lieutenant."

"Seriously?" I exploded, tugging on the cuff, "Like hell I'm going to stay handcuffed to you." I turned my glare to Alicia, "Get. Them. Off. Now." I growled warningly.

She simply smiled, "You're half my size; we both know I could snap you."

I pouted at that, "Excuse me for not wanting to be handcuffed to him."

"What's wrong with being handcuffed to me?" Taylor asked defensively though I could see the humour in his eyes.

I glanced up at him and it was then that I noticed how much taller than me he was; he towered above me, literally. "You're too tall." I grumbled.

I went to cross my arms only to have my wrist tugged back toward Taylor. I glared at him and tugged back, ignoring the cuff biting into my skin. We continued to tug back and forth before Alicia finally shook her head and smacked us both.

"Stop tugging at each other." She commanded, ignoring the look Taylor gave her, "You are staying together until we're sure the sixers aren't going to do anything drastic to get you." She said firmly, "Which means you can't go off the grid while you're still cuffed to her." She grinned wickedly at me again, "I'll leave you two to decide whose house you'll be sleeping at."

We both watched her leave – I was glaring while Taylor simply nodded. I was left alone with Taylor; if I thought him seeing me without a bra on was embarrassing how was I going to go living with the man? They were overreacting about the whole situation and I wondered how long it would take for me to drive Taylor to the point of insanity.

"Don't even think about it."

I looked up at Taylor bewildered, "Think about what?"

"Doing whatever you can to piss me off." His eyes dared me to deny it but I couldn't help but smile innocently.

"Can't blame a girl for trying."

Dear God was I _flirting_ with him?

That's it; the handcuffs have to go _now_. With that in mind I began to pull him toward the door, well aware that if he didn't want to be pulled around he could easily stop me. He realised I was trying to lead him outside and stopped us immediately, pulling me back so I had no choice but to barrel into his chest.

"Ow!" I complained, rubbing my wrist, "What the hell was that for?"

"Where are you planning on going exactly?"

I shrugged like it was no big deal, "To get Alicia to take these damn things off."

I tried to turn back to the door but the stubborn man refused to move, "She's not going to do that." He told me, "And she's right."

"It's easy for you to say." I huffed angrily, "I'm half your size; as if I'm going to be able to get you to do anything and how exactly does she expect us to change clothes if we're handcuffed together?"

He shrugged like it was nothing, "I have a set of keys. By the way, we're staying at my place."

I had no choice but to follow him into my room, "What do you mean you have a set of keys?" I practically bellowed at him, refusing to pack any clothes into the bag he'd put on my bed.

"You think I let her handcuff me to you without a set of keys?" He looked at me amused.

I was furious; I kicked him in the shin "_This is not funny_!" I exclaimed, "We're going to practically be living together..."

"_Practically_?" Taylor interrupted, "We _will_ be living together."

"That's not the point!" I hissed, poking him in the chest, "I don't _need_ to be living with you! I can take care of myself, you know!"

He didn't appear bothered by my words, "You can either start packing yourself, or I'll do it for you."

I narrowed my eyes at him and grudgingly began to pack; I wouldn't put it past him to do exactly that and start rummaging through my things. I applauded myself mentally when I didn't blush as I dumped my underwear in the bag, tugging him over to the draws to pull out a few tops and pants as well as my ratty pyjamas. He watched, curious, as I packed my iPod and some books to take with me; I considered taking my laptop but decided against it, figuring I can always drag him back if I need to.

"Let's go." I grumbled, moving to pick up the bag.

Taylor snatched it up before I could though, tossing the long strap over his shoulder. I allowed him to lead me out the door and for a split second I was curious about where he lived; I had yet to actual see it. I walked beside him down the street toward the front gate, ignoring the confused looks we were getting from some of the soldiers that noticed. Apparently one of them didn't notice and he came rushing up to his CO.

"Sir, can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked respectfully, his eyes darting from me back to Taylor.

Taylor nodded, "What is it corporal?"

The soldier hesitated, "We were told to keep security information private, sir." He looked pointedly at me.

Taylor smiled and clapped the soldier on the shoulder, "Good job but she'll have to hear." He said, lifting our cuffed hands with an amused smirk.

The look on the soldiers face was actually quite hysterical. His eyes widened comically and his mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to think of an appropriate answer. Taylor eventually took pity on him and indicated for him to walk and talk.

"We've doubled the security on the perimeters, sir." The soldier said, snapping back to attention once we started walking, "We have men out patrolling the borders of the jungle and we've arranged the shifts for the pool surveillance."

"Good job Reynolds." Taylor said.

Reynolds saluted him and went back to whatever it was that he did. I kept walking, letting Taylor lead me through the colony. No one came up to us after that although I did spot Alicia a few times, ordering around a few soldiers. I needed to plan some form of revenge on her.

I expected Taylor's house to be right at the front of the colony. I wasn't mistaken except it was sort of hidden behind his office, a few large trees sheltering the path. The house was almost exactly the same as everyone else except the outside hadn't been painted yet. I followed him inside, letting him dump my bag on the ground. The inside of his house was what I expected; neutral colours on the walls and very few knick knacks around the place. I wrinkled my nose when I saw a few dinosaur heads mounted on the wall.

"That's gross." I didn't bother to hide my disgust at the bones.

Taylor laughed and led me toward what I assumed was the bedroom. He fished out a set of keys from his pocket and I eyed them. "Don't even think about it." He said firmly, "Get changed and ready for bed; you've got an early morning ahead of you."

I considered ignoring him and trying to escape anyway but decided against it; it's not like I would get very far. The man was practically a ninja compared to me. Sighing I slipped into the bathroom to change into my ratty pyjamas and if it wasn't so uncomfortable wearing a bra to bed then I would have worn one. I was glad he suggested bed because the moment I crawled under the sheets, too tired to wait for him, I promptly fell asleep.

A/N another chapter! Not as long as the last one but it was bugging me so i had to put it up. Hope you like it.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own anything other than Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Eight

I woke alone which, I'll admit, I wasn't anticipating. I stretched my arms out above my head, not surprised when my bones cracked from the movement. What did surprise me was the sound of metal clinking against metal from the action. I tugged my arm forward, to see what made the sound and frowned when I couldn't straighten my arm. I tilted my head back to find my wrist handcuffed to the head board of the bed.

I groaned and let my head rest back down on the pillow; I remained silent, trying to hear any noises coming from the rest of the house. I had no idea where Taylor had gone or when he'd be back; all I could hope was that it'd be soon. I shifted on the bed when I realised how badly I needed to go to the toilet. Did the stupid man not think of this when he left? I wondered for a moment if he even remembered that he'd left me handcuffed to his bed.

There was nothing I could do until he got back; I looked mournfully over at my backpack by the bathroom door. If it had been closer to the bed I might have been able to distract myself with a book until Taylor returned. Unfortunately for me it was too far away. I had no choice but to lie in the bed and wait until he returned. Normally that wouldn't be such a bad thing except my bladder was painfully full and I was mentally preparing a very vocal welcome back speech for Taylor.

Luckily for him (and my bladder) I didn't have enough time to prepare any form of a speech. He came in loudly and it seemed like it took him forever to walk from the door, past the kitchen and to his bedroom.

"Hurry the hell up and take this damn thing off me!" I practically growled at him.

He raised an eyebrow and crossed him arms, standing by the door, "What's the rush?"

"I need to pee!" I burst out, tugging on my wrist, "Don't just stand there! Move your ass and take this thing off!"

Taylor chuckled and stepped up to the bed, fishing the key out of his pocket and unlocked the cuff. I didn't wait, grabbing hold of his shoulder to get a push off and darted into the bathroom, bending down to pick up my bag before slamming the door shut. Once I had relieved myself I took a shower, not bothering to let Taylor know I was doing so. When I had gotten out and dried off I considered my chances of getting out via the bathroom window before he could notice. I eyed the small opening and decided grudgingly that it wasn't worth getting stuck and needing his help to pull me out.

Sighing I left the bathroom, not expecting Taylor to be waiting outside ready with the handcuffs. One cuff had already been secured on his wrist and I let out a surprised yelp when he yanked me towards him, slapping the cuff over my wrist. Since I hadn't expected the sudden attack I ended up barrelling into his chest, his free arm supporting me while his other put the cuff on.

All in all, it was a fairly humiliating experience. He was too amused by my lack of poise and without thinking I gave him a quick jab to the stomach. I should have expected that it wouldn't affect him at all. The man barely blinked and even had the audacity to smirk down at me. I stifled a groan and tugged him into the kitchen, ignoring his soft laughter.

"Was it really necessary to leave me handcuffed to the bed?" I asked irritated, fishing through his cupboards for something to eat.

I could feel him shrug, my arm jumping from the movement, "I could have made you come on the morning drills with me." He gave me a wicked smile, "I'm sure you would have been excellent entertainment for the soldiers."

I glared at him, "Next time let me go to the toilet first."

"Is there something you're looking for?" I could hear the amusement in his voice and it made me want to smack him.

I didn't turn around to answer him, still fishing through his pantry for food, "I'm looking for something edible; do you have _any_ food in this place?"

"You could try looking in the fridge." I wanted to smack the amusement right out of his voice.

I did as he suggested and I found food despite the fact that it was limited strictly to meat, vegetables and fruit. I grabbed a piece of fruit but not before giving him an exasperated look.

"What was the look for?" I asked, watching as I ate the piece of fruit.

"Do you cook anything _other_ than meat and vegetables?" I asked, making a face at the strange taste of the fruit.

Taylor looked a little bewildered and it was a strange look on the man, "What else is there to cook?"

"I don't know; have you ever heard of casseroles, pasta or even roasts?" I asked. I'll admit I was slightly patronizing but damn if it didn't feel good.

He didn't answer but gave me a look that I'm sure would have his soldiers cowering. It was actually kind of...hot. It made me all too aware of how close I was standing to him which wasn't that strange since we were handcuffed together. Our chests were almost touching, the fabric of our shirts brushing slightly when we breathed and the kitchen suddenly became uncomfortably warm. Our eyes were locked, my head tilted back, and I didn't doubt for a second that he noticed our closeness.

A knock on the door broke our staring contest and I took a step back – a small step – and avoided eye contact with the man. I could have sworn I heard him sigh quietly before gently tugging me in the direction of the front door. I followed (not that I really had a choice in the matter) and I considered glaring at the soldier that interrupted our staring contest.

"Sir, sorry to interrupt but we've had a few of the women who are interested in the swim teaching jobs available asking around for Ms. Lee." The soldier said.

I couldn't see Taylor's expression but I could see him nod, "Take them to my office and inform them that we'll be there momentarily." He ordered.

The soldier nodded and followed his orders quickly, my guess wanting to be away from the intimidating man. Taylor didn't look back at me, tugging me down the path that the soldier had just disappeared down. I didn't bother protesting, simply quickened my pace to match his long strides and even then I was still lagging behind. I was practically jogging trying to keep up and in the end I jerked on our cuffed hands to stop him.

"Stop walking so damn fast." I snapped, "Not everyone has abnormally long legs as you."

Thinking back, I shouldn't have said anything. During my outburst we had both stopped walking and while I took the opportunity to catch my breath I didn't pay enough attention to the smirking Commander. I squealed as I felt my upper body being heaved over a shoulder, Taylor's arm holding me down across my thighs. I could feel the blood rushing to my face but I was too distracted by a very...eye catching bottom to protest for a few moments. Until I realised that we were by Taylor's office and more than a few people were currently privy to their annoying Commander carrying me over his shoulder.

I slapped his ass, grinning when I felt his surprised jump at the action, "Will you put me down!"

"I'm just using my abnormally long legs to get us both here faster." I was certain that if I could see his face he'd be smirking right now.

When we got up the stairs and into his office he unceremoniously dumped me on a chair in front of his desk. I watched him through narrowed eyes as he took off the cuffs and walked around to the other side of the desk looking awfully smug. If it weren't for the hesitant knocks on the door I would have tried to smack the look off his face.

It was probably a good thing I didn't try; the knock had been from the group of women that I had spoken to with Alicia. I knew they were all interested in swim teaching, all wanted to find something useful to do with their time. Most of them, I found out, were married to soldiers and a few were married to some of the doctors. Their kids were all at school so they really did spend the majority of their time cooking, cleaning or talking with each other.

They were hesitant at the beginning as they talked with me; I knew that everyone in the colony by now was well aware that I was the strange girl from 2010 who was now handcuffed to their Commander. It didn't take long for them to open up though, excited about learning how to swim as well as teaching and being able to spend time in the makeshift pool by the beach. They listened eagerly as I told them how I used to teach back in 2010, laughing at some of the more troublesome students I'd taught over the years and as I watched their reaction to the stories I was telling I could tell that they would make great teachers.

Taylor didn't interrupt, happy to listen and go about his work quietly. I noticed a few of the women glancing over my shoulder at the quiet Commander, a few exchanging suggesting looks to each other. I did my best to ignore those looks however I couldn't stop a strange pang in my chest as I realised how many women – single women – in the colony would fancy the strong and able Commander. I knew that he wasn't married but surely he was aware of the females around him. I didn't doubt for a second that he could have his pick of any woman and any woman that didn't accept would be crazy.

I had to get rid of those thoughts; my tummy felt like there were butterflies doing some sort of uncomfortable jig and I could not be stuck with the man for who knows how long and have this reaction. I was just happy that the steamy dreams about the man seemed to have stopped.

I smiled at the women as they each thanked me profusely for the opportunity once I told them we could get started tomorrow. I didn't even look at Taylor for confirmation; if the man was going to stay handcuffed to me then I certainly wasn't going to go out of my way to make things easier for him. I'll admit I was looking forward to training the women and spending some time out in the new pool. It had been a while since I'd had to have a hand in training new staff and the experience, I was sure, would be amusing for all involved.

"I have a group of soldiers that will be patrolling the area the whole time." Taylor told me once we were alone, "They are all capable swimmers as well so if any of the women need help with getting comfortable in the water then they can help out."

I smiled despite myself; the man thought of everything, "Thank you. Does this mean I'm going to be cuff-free?" I asked hopefully.

He smiled pleasantly at me, "I thought you liked being handcuffed to me." I rolled my eyes and he laughed, "As much as I would love to see you wet again," And cue blushing, "I have a colony to run so Wash will be there watching over you."

"So instead of handcuffs I get a babysitter?" I asked dryly.

He shrugged, looking down at some paperwork, "Well, we could handcuff you to Wash, but I don't think either of you would enjoy the experience."

"What makes you think I'm enjoying the experience now?" I shot back.

He looked up from the paperwork, an extremely self assured smirk on his face "I _know_ you're enjoying the experience."

I raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't be so sure." I retorted.

He pushed himself up off his seat, moving around to stand in front of me. He bent down, his hands placed on the arm rests of the seat and he leaned in close. With him so close I could see the beginnings of a beard growing across his jaw and my fingers twitched, wanting to reach up and see if it would be as prickly as it looked. My breathing hitched, the tingling feeling coursing through my tummy as he stared down at me, that look back in his eyes. I realised, startled, that the look was _desire_ and I was sure it mirrored my own.

I don't know who closed the gap between us but all I really cared about was the feel of his lips against mine. I could feel the stubble of his beard on my chin as we kissed, hesitantly at first before the past week or so of flirting caught up to us and before I realised it, I had my hands fisted in his short hair and his in mine.

We were so caught up with each other that we didn't notice the knock on the door and it wasn't until we heard Alicia's not-so-subtle cough that we broke apart. We stared at each other for a moment before Taylor lifted his gaze behind me. I was still staring up at him slightly shocked by what had just happened but I wasn't too shocked not to notice the displeased glare he sent his Lieutenant.

"Am I interrupting something, sir?" I heard Alicia ask.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands certain that my cheeks were bright red. Wash didn't try and hide her laughter, her laughter the only evidence that she had moved further into the room. Seriously, the woman needed to wear a bell or something and now that I thought about it, so did Taylor. Did they train soldiers to be ninjas in the future or something?

"Wash." Taylor growled warningly, though I could tell he wasn't too bothered by her knowing what had happened.

"Yes sir?" The innocent tone didn't suit the woman one bit.

I pushed myself up from the seat I was in, ignoring both of the soldiers that seemed to be having some form of silent conversation. I wasn't going to stick around for them to finish, wanting to be well away from both of them and avoid the two very different conversations I was sure to have with each of them.

"Where do you think you're going?" Taylor asked, his hand reaching out to stop me moving.

I kept my eyes away from his, doing my best to ignore the tingling sensation his touch had on me, "I'm going to go...cook." It was the first thing that came to my head.

I could feel both of them staring at me and I couldn't help but look up at them. Taylor's head was tilted to the side curiously and amused (and still a flicker of desire) while Alicia simply raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"What?" I said defensively, crossing my arms over my chest. "You have heard of cooking, haven't you Alicia? I know he hasn't." I said, jerking my head in Taylor's direction.

She nodded, amused, "That doesn't explain why you think you're going to escape here without someone with you."

I scowled, "I can take care of myself!"

"I'm sure the Commander would prefer to...help take care of you." She grinned wickedly.

I groaned and made to move for the door again when I was once more stopped, "I'll be fine!" I insisted, knowing it was Taylor who had stopped me. Why did this have to happen to me?

"You're still not going by yourself." He said calmly, ignoring Alicia's previous comment. A part of me hoped he was thinking up some ridiculous revenge.

"Well then move your ass so I can show you how to cook something other than meat and vegetables." I demanded, crossing my arms.

Alicia snickered, obviously amused by the interactions between us. We'd come a long way since Taylor's random accusations and I couldn't deny that I was more than pleased by how things had changed between us. I just hoped that there would be no more random outbursts that would set us back especially now that we both were aware of the attraction between us.

Taylor was clearly not used to people speaking to him in such tones so he gaped at me for a moment before spluttering, "Will you wait...?"

"No, I won't wait. From what I saw of your extremely empty cupboards I have to go through the market place to find things to cook with. So you can either hurry your grumpy ass up or I'm going." I said firmly.

Alicia was full on laughing now and I have to admit that Taylor's face was pretty damn amusing. He sighed, pinching his nose and nodded, "Wash, we're going to have to walk and talk." His tone demanded no room for argument.

"Yes sir." The woman was still grinning. She was far too amused.

I felt a little sorry for picking on him so much – it wasn't my fault he made it so damn easy – so I smiled innocently at her while I addressed Taylor.

"I guess this'll be the perfect opportunity to tell her about the babysitting she gets to do."

Alicia's grin dropped immediately and her eyes widened as she whirled around to look questioningly at her Commander. Well, it was more a desperate pleading look to be more precise and Taylor simply smirked in response.

Payback's certainly a bitch.

A/N thanks for all the reviews. Hope you like the chapter. Also, I'm thinking of bringing another Original Character in for Wash...Any thoughts? Good idea or not?


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own anything other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Nine

In my mind I had gotten revenge on Alicia and I couldn't stop grinning to myself as I went to walk out of Taylor's office when once again I was stopped. I didn't let that bother me too much though and allowed myself to be spun around by Alicia only to have her slap the cuffs back on. Taylor didn't blink as she secured the other cuff around his wrist.

As much as I wanted to have some space between us to allow my scattered brain to regroup after our moment I refused to let my good mood fade. I mean, I'd just had pretty much the best kiss of my life and I was getting some much needed revenge on Alicia. I simply began to tug Taylor out of the room, ignoring his annoyed sigh at the movement and Alicia's smirking face.

I ignored whatever the two began to talk about – no doubt something to do with security or training – and took my time going through the different stalls at the market. I was mentally deciding what vegetables that Taylor already had in his fridge that I could use and ones that I could get here that he didn't already have. I picked a few, talking with the man selling them who eventually got over the fact that the Commander was handcuffed to me. I moved on from the vegetable stand and over to the fruits, picking up a few and studying before finally deciding on some to buy. Taylor and Alicia continued to talk the whole time, only looking over every now and then to see what I was doing before being sucked back into their conversation.

Trying to decide on meat was a little harder since most of the meat was basically some form of fish. I wrinkled my nose in disgust when they offered certain dinosaur meats that were a rarity and politely declined. Taylor, having heard the conversation, snickered at my reaction and told me quite innocently that it was an acquired taste. In the end I bought some fish and a few other more common meats before moving on. Both Taylor and Alicia watched, curious, as I purchased bread, rice and spaghetti; I had been told by the woman selling the crops that it had all been farmed in Terra Nova and I didn't want to ask what they had tasted like back in the time she had come from.

"Are you two finished?" I asked once I was done shopping.

Alicia looked at Taylor who nodded, "We're finished."

"Well, I promised the women that I'd start their training tomorrow." I grinned at Alicia, "I hope you have bathers."

With that I turned and tugged a laughing Taylor away from his stunned Lieutenant before she had a chance to object. We walked back to Taylor's in comfortable silence which was more than surprising; I'd expected some form of awkward conversation about our earlier collision of sorts but he hadn't raised the topic and I certainly wasn't about to.

"What exactly are you making?" He asked once we were inside his house.

I placed the shopping on the bench and divided the purchases into two separate piles; what I was using and what I didn't need to make dinner. While it wasn't necessarily late enough to start cooking, I wanted to do something to keep my mind off of the man I was chained to. I figured cooking would be the best way and so I went about making dinner early.

I shrugged, "It'll be some form of casserole I think."

"You think?"

"You sound nervous Commander," I looked over at him slyly, "Not afraid of trying something a little different?" I challenged.

He narrowed his eyes at me, "I'm well aware of what you're doing woman."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said innocently as I began to slice up some of the vegetables.

He didn't reply, simply watched me slice up the vegetables. I could tell he wanted to comment on how I was slicing the vegetables but he didn't say anything. The man was lucky he knew when to keep his mouth shut.

"Is it really necessary to have the cuffs on while we're inside?" I complained when the man had refused to move so that I could get the vegetables from his fridge.

He simply smiled, "Well, it's not _necessary_."

"Then take them off!"

He considered it for a moment before shaking his head, "Nope."

"Why the hell not?" The man was infuriating.

He shrugged, "I don't want to."

I glared at him and tried tugging him over to the fridge once again. This time the result was slightly more disastrous. He hadn't expected me to tug quite so insistently and he stumbled right into me; we both toppled down and the final result was the not-so-light Commander on top of me. I gasped as the air in my lungs was squished out by the heavy body on top and even though Taylor was quick to react, shifting his weight quickly onto his arms that he had repositioned so that they were on either side of my head, I still needed a few moments to try and catch my breath.

When I was done practically panting I attempted to glare up at him but I was sure it was more of a displeased glance. I couldn't exactly say I didn't like the position we had literally landed ourselves in and memories of our previous activities ran through my head as I found my eyes trailing down to his lips.

"Still want me to take the cuffs off?" He asked huskily.

My eyes shot up to meet his, our eyes mirroring each other's desire. I didn't reply, simply yanked his head down to kiss him. That resulted in his body being lowered slightly until I could just feel the warmth of his body seeping through our clothes. His arms were still supporting his weight and I could feel his legs on either side of my body. I let out a sound that resembled something like a moan as his lips separated from mine to travel down my jaw to my neck where he spent several moments nipping and sucking on the sensitive skin there. I gasped as he found a particularly sensitive spot and he seemed to realise it too, spending a painfully long time ensuring that he gave it his utmost attention.

"We should really stop." I managed to gasp out, my body arching up to his as his hands began to trail across my body.

He hummed against my skin, "Probably."

He didn't stop, letting his hands wander over my clothes while mine did the same, the feel of his muscles that were hidden underneath his black shirt didn't leave me doubting for a second the strength the man had. If I thought my tummy was filled with butterflies before then I had no idea what was fluttering in there now. Everything about the man drove me nuts – in a good way, a _very_ good way – and if I had doubted whether or not he felt the attraction between us I certainly didn't now. There was a rather big sign that told me he was more than simply attracted to me and even in my Taylor-drugged haze I was aware of how much I wanted the man for more than just sex. I wanted to tell him to stop, tell him that if we were going to do any form of sex then it would only be if we were dating.

I was torn between wanting to continue kissing Taylor and trying to stop before we went too far. I never had to make the choice; Taylor gave me one last heated kiss before pulling back. We were both panting hard, our chests rising and falling almost in sync. Taylor smiled almost lazily down at me, resting his weight on one arm (the arm that was still cuffed to me) and with his free arm he lifted his hand up to brush some of my blonde strands out of my eyes.

"Still want the cuffs to go?" He asked again grinning.

I watched as his eyes trailed across my face, taking in my flushed face and down to study the marks he'd undoubtedly left against my pale skin – the man had essentially marked his territory. In the past (or future, however you want to look at it) I'd hated it when guys left marks all down my neck but I found myself being slightly turned on by Taylor's dominating marks.

"Shut up." I muttered tugging his head back down to kiss him.

He smiled against my lips, kissing me back lightly. He pulled away just as the kiss was beginning to heat up. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching me the art of cooking or something?"

"I didn't realise you were so interested in cooking." I commented leaning up to trail light kisses across his jaw.

I grinned at the guttural noise that came out of Taylor, "If you don't stop doing _that_ I won't be able to control myself." He growled, burying his face in the crook of my neck. "The first time we do have sex it will not be on my kitchen floor."

I sighed and let my head rest back. I couldn't help but grin at his words; even though I wanted more right now I was glad he obviously wanted to wait. I looked up at him, still smiling, and felt that warm flutter in my tummy again. He was watching me intently, his gaze heated and before I could speak he hauled himself upright dragging me with him. I grabbed hold of his biceps as I stumbled, letting go once I'd regained my balance.

Instead of fighting me Taylor followed me to the kitchen once I remembered what I was doing; I grabbed out the vegetables I needed as well as meat before turning back to the vegetables that were sitting in a futuristic looking slow cooker. I quickly cut up the rest of the vegetables before dumping them in the cooker and sliced up the meat. Taylor watched as I tipped in various herbs and spices that I had managed to find in his pantry; I doubted he even knew they were there.

Neither of us spoke while I finished cooking; Taylor seemed more than happy to stand and watch me cook and I was glad for the chance to control my erratic heart. He still hadn't taken off the cuffs and I was beginning to see them as more of a bonus now. The cuffs meant he was standing closer then he normally would have been, his chest brushing up against my back as he peered over my shoulder to watch what I was doing.

"Do you like cooking?" He asked, startling me slightly.

I shrugged, stirring the casserole once everything was in, "It's not my favourite activity but every now and then it can be calming."

"What's your favourite activity?" He asked curiously.

I looked over my shoulder at him, "Are we playing twenty questions?" I asked amused.

He frowned, "What's twenty questions?"

"We have twenty questions each; one person asks a question and then the other person gets to ask a question until all twenty have been used up." I explained.

"Then I guess we're playing twenty questions." I could feel his breath tickling the hairs on the back of my neck whenever he spoke and it sent shivers down my spine.

I smiled, "Then it's my turn." I thought for a moment before deciding on an easy question, "When did you join the army?"

"I was sixteen." He answered automatically, "What's your favourite activity?" He asked his question from earlier again.

We continued playing while I stirred the food, not that I really needed too. We asked varying questions ranging from our families, to school and finally to our previous partners. We had moved away from the kitchen, seated on the couch.

"Do you have a man looking for you in 2010?" He asked.

I could tell he was hesitant to ask the question and even though he knew I didn't have a husband I thought it might have come up sooner or later. I shook my head, "No, I didn't have a boyfriend." It occurred to me that he may also have someone in the future, "What about you?" I asked hesitantly.

"There's no one." He said softly.

We'd been leaning in to one another when a knock on the door stopped us. I could tell Taylor wanted to ignore it but knew he couldn't. He sighed, pulling me upright and we went to the door not surprised to find Alicia standing outside.

She studied the two of us before smirking, "I'm not interrupting again, am I?"

"What is it Wash?" Taylor asked his voice torn between sounding amused and exasperated.

She walked in, giving him an update of the military status of the place before turning to me looking sour, "I wanted to know what time you were going down to the pool."

I wondered how much it killed her to say those words, "I told the women to meet at the beach by ten." I grinned, "We'll have so much fun."

She grimaced, crossing her arms over her chest, "I doubt that."

"I think this will be a great opportunity for character building Wash." Taylor grinned obviously well aware of his Lieutenant's dislike for pools.

"Should I be worried about her trying to drown people tomorrow?" I asked both amused and a little worried.

Taylor smirked, "Wash here had a bad experience when it came to her swimming tests. Some of the soldiers decided it would be a good idea to use our Lieutenant here as a floating device when they were dropped in the water." Alicia was now giving Taylor a filthy look, "They got off quick once she managed to shot one in the leg and punch the other in the balls."

"You never saw what the water was like then." She glared at me while I laughed, "You wouldn't be laughing if you had your head dunked under water like that."

I tried to stop my laughter but it was difficult when I was imagining Alicia doing exactly what Taylor had described, "Well, I can assure you the pool is nothing like that."

Alicia grumbled under her breath and I wondered if any of the other soldiers got to see their Commanding officer and Lieutenant so relaxed and open. It made me realise just how close the two must be – as friends, that is – and it was nice that they allowed themselves to be just as relaxed as they are with each other around me.

"Does this mean you're staying for dinner?" I asked her when she plonked herself down on a seat.

She gave me a look, "If I'm going to be stuck in a pool all day tomorrow then you bet your ass you're feeding me."

I chuckled, pulling out three bowls, "Duly noted Lieutenant."

Tomorrow was certainly going to be amusing.

A/N hope you like the chapter. Would still like thoughts on another character coming in. Thanks for all the reviews; I'm trying to update as regularly as I can but with work and Christmas coming up it's a little hard to get the time in to write. Hope you enjoy.


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own anything other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Ten

I didn't wake alone this time.

Alicia had stayed for a few good hours before turning herself in but not before reminding Taylor that another soldier was taking over morning patrols for him. It had been an amusing night; Alicia blurted out more than her fair share of humiliating stories about her Commanding officer than he clearly wanted but he didn't object, simply shot back just as humiliating stories about his Lieutenant. I'd sat there quietly, listening as they bickered to each other in between mouthfuls of the casserole, and doing my best not to burst out laughing at the two of them. For a moment they reminded me of what my brother and I had been like and it seemed to me that they acted more like siblings then co-workers.

When Alicia left I made sure that she remembered her babysitting duties for the next day and she'd given me a not-so-polite farewell in response. We'd fallen into bed after that, each having a turn in the bathroom and I half expected him to put the cuffs back on when we were both done. It was certainly easier to get into a comfortable position without them and I certainly wasn't going to remind him about them.

Back to the point, I woke up far from alone; it took me a few moments to realise what was wrapped around my waist. Taylor, at some point in the night, had thrown his arm over my waist and pulled me into his chest. It certainly explained why I barely had any of the covers around my torso; the man was a living, breathing and talking heater.

"Is it just you that's a living heater or is it everyone from the future?" I murmured knowing he was awake.

The man lived off military times; of course he would be awake before me.

I could feel his laughter rumble through him and it was definitely a welcome feeling just after waking, "I wouldn't know."

I snuggled closer, sighing content as his arm tightened slightly. I had just been dozing off when several thumps on the door stopped me from returning to sleep. I groaned when Taylor slipped out of bed to answer the door, although it wasn't a complete waste of a moment. He – like most men – slept with no shirt and I got a good eye full of his toned and muscled chest before he put on a chest. He smirked at me, well aware that I was looking but I simply smiled.

While he answered the door I looked over at the clock. It was almost ten so I had a good idea as to who it was at the door. I yawned and slowly got out of bed, stretching my arms above my head and not surprised when my bones crackled loudly. I had, for reasons I couldn't understand, packed my bathers when I had relocated to Taylor's and knowing that was the only reason I wasn't panicking about being late down to the pool. I dressed quickly, slipping the bikini top on after I had put the bottoms and some shorts on. Taylor came in muttering to himself but stopped when he saw me in only the bikini top. I blushed as his eyes strayed down to my chest before they snapped back up to my eyes. It was weird to feel flattered by his appreciative gaze as his eyes dropped quickly back down to my chest when he thought I wasn't watching. There was no doubt about it; the Commander was a boob man.

He looked more than disappointed as I put a shirt on and I grinned at him, "Why do I get the feeling you'll be paying us a visit down by the pool later?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said coolly. Even though I was now covered his eyes still strayed down to my chest as though he'd just realised I had breasts.

I waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. It was definitely the first time I had seen the man blush and I committed the image to my memory. "I'll see you later." I said sounding amused even to my own ears.

He nodded, his eyes locked with mine again. As I went walk past him and out the door he stopped me to plant a heated kiss on my lips before pulling away with a smirk. I walked out of the bedroom feeling more dazed then I'd liked to especially with Alicia waiting for me. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was scowling (not that that surprised me); it wasn't surprising to find her still dressed in her uniform, her black hair pulled back into her typical neat ponytail. She did, however, have a towel flung over her shoulder and I could see the strings of a bather top under her singlet.

"Let's get this over with." She muttered.

I tried to hide my amused smile but it was difficult. "What would you do if you actually had fun today?"

"That's never going to happen." She retorted immediately, scrunching her nose up at the thought.

I shook my head exasperated and waved good bye to Taylor who had emerged from the bedroom in his typical uniform. I rolled my eyes at the two and I wondered if either of them owned clothes that weren't black.

He followed us down the path and to the front of the gates where we parted. He said something quietly to Alicia and it mustn't have been particularly serious judging from the insubordinate roll of her eyes. We walked – well, I walked and Alicia trudged – down to the beach where the five women I had spoken with yesterday were waiting with a group of soldiers. I recognised one of the soldiers as Reynolds who nodded formally at Alicia when we arrived.

We got straight to work and since there were only five women I doubted that I'd need help from Alicia or the other soldiers. When I said this to Alicia she almost looked like she was sigh with relief but all I got was a short nod before she turned and sat down on a rock by the pool. I got the women in the shallow end and since I knew that this was the first time in a pool for all of them we spent the first few minutes walking up and down so they could get comfortable being in the strange environment.

"I could get used to this." One of the women – Nina – said happily.

The other women agreed; it was definitely a warm day and while the water had warmed slightly it was still nice to be in the water. I looked over at Alicia, smirking at the quiet lieutenant who I knew would be pretty warm in her dark clothes.

"Sure you don't want to come in?" I called out teasingly.

A few of the women looked at each other with wide eyes. Alicia narrowed her eyes at me, "If I wanted to be in the water, I would be."

"Sure, sure." I retorted easily.

I was sure I heard some of the soldiers nearby snickering. Apparently Alicia did too because she barked out some pretty unpleasant orders for them.

With the women relaxed and used to the water we began; I explained that levels were made up of students not necessarily because of their age. We started from the lowest level and worked our way up through the levels, giving them not only a chance to get used to the water but also get a feel for actually swimming.

I had to admit that I was impressed with all of them; for women that had never been in a pool before they all were fairly competent swimmers. None were afraid or worried as we progressed through drills to do the harder strokes and it only took them a few laps to get used to freestyle and backstroke. By the time we got to our lunch break they were all ready to begin learning how to teach each of the different drills that we had just gone through. At this rate, the pool could definitely be up and running sooner than I had even considered.

By lunch a few of the soldiers that had been assigned by Taylor to help out in the pool if needed made their way into the pool; the unlucky soldiers that were there on patrol looked on miserably. It had gotten warmer as the day went on and they were constantly on the move and watching the area for any signs of danger. Even Alicia looked like she was considering getting in, eyeing the water with a mixture of disgust and grudging desire. I hoped out of the pool, wringing out my hair before plonking down on the rock that Alicia had taken up residence since we had gotten down here.

"You look like a drowned rat." She said bluntly.

I shrugged, "It's a better look then your overheated one."

A soldier from the pool hopped out and came over to us, sitting down on the other side of Alicia. I recognised him as Reynolds, the soldier that had spoken with Taylor the other day. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" He said formally.

Alicia rolled her eyes, "You're not on duty Mark."

Mark grinned, "In that case why aren't you coming in?"

"Oh, I know the answer to this one!" I added with a grin, putting my hand up like I was in class, "Pools are filled with germs, vomit and crap."

Mark looked over at the pool, his eyes squinting as he studied the pool, "It looks rather clean to me." He looked over at me, amused, "None of the ladies seem to have vomited, crapped or have germs that you should be worried about."

"We could always go and ask them." I suggested helpfully when Alicia pointedly ignored us.

Mark nodded looking eager, "I'm sure they'd love to reassure Alicia that they haven't committed any atrocities whilst in the pool."

Alicia slapped Mark over the head, scowling at him, "You'll do no such thing unless you want to spend the rest of the month assigned to night duties."

I grinned at the soldier's pout, "You can't do that to me." I went to stand up but she clamped a hand over my arm. "You're not afraid of swimming, are you?"

She glared at me and before I could say anything else she had stood up, yanked her top over her head and taken her pants on until she was left in only her bathers. I snickered next to Mark as the angry lieutenant moved over to the deep end of the pool and promptly dived into the pool perfectly. A few of the women watched with wide eyes at Alicia when she came up for air, looking over at us with raised brows.

"Not bad." I called out, moving to where she had just been. I dived in, having done it million times before so I didn't doubt that I executed it perfectly. When I came above the water I grinned at Alicia, "Fancy seeing you in here."

She rolled her eyes and splashed me, "Stop being a brat or I'll get out."

"I didn't think I'd find you in there, Lieutenant." Taylor's voice rang out.

Alicia's head whipped around to face her Commander but she didn't look surprised to see him. "Someone had to show them how it was done, sir."

I snorted and I was pretty sure I heard Mark cough slightly, "I believe that someone was just me." I smiled innocently at Alicia's narrowed gaze. The women all looked fairly amused by the turn of events and didn't seem surprised by Taylor's presence. "What did we do to earn a visit from the almighty Commander?" I called out teasingly.

A few of the patrolling soldiers broke away from their scans of the surrounding area to look over at me in shock. They were quick to get back to their jobs, probably afraid of being caught out by Alicia or worse, Taylor.

Taylor smiled charmingly, "I wanted to see how everything was going with our future swim teachers."

There was no doubt that Taylor was here because he wanted to see the progress of the women learning. Even they could tell that this was just as important to him as it was to them although I suppose they knew how much he cared for the success of the colony and for the people in it. I smiled at him, realising not for the first time how lucky I was that I was with such a great guy. I frowned at that last thought; _was_ I with him? Kissing was one thing but that didn't necessarily mean we were together. How the _hell_ was I supposed to bring that up in conversation? Should I even bother or just see where things go?

I didn't want to think about these thoughts right now; if I started I knew I would be distracted for the rest of the day.

"Right now we're on lunch break." I told him just as some of the women stepped out of the pool and over to their towels were they had left their lunches. As Taylor sat down at the edge of the pool I swam over with Alicia to join him, "I thought you'd be too busy to come down."

He shrugged, "I really did want to see how things were progressing."

At his pointed look I rolled my eyes but gave him an update, "They can all swim the strokes fairly well so we're ready to start learning the teaching aspects this afternoon."

"Already?" Taylor asked surprised.

I nodded, smiling, "They were quite eager."

Taylor seemed pleased by this and looked over at Wash, "How'd they get you in?"

He knew her too well, "I don't know what you're talking about." She said through gritted teeth.

I snorted, "We gave her a challenge she couldn't refuse."

"We?"

"Mark and I." I clarified, nodding my head over to the quiet soldier that was still sitting over on the rock, "It didn't take us very long." I grinned.

"I don't doubt it did."

Taylor didn't stay long after that; the women were almost done eating their lunches when he left, saying he'd be back to see their progress later in the week. I gave them some time to relax before calling them back into the pool. Surprisingly Alicia stayed in and Mark jumped back in, giving the women a chance to practice teaching the lower level drills on more 'students'. Mark and Alicia were the only 'students' to actively disrupt the lesson, whether it was by ignoring whoever was teaching or not doing the drill properly. They acted like completely disobedient children and it was kind of hilarious to watch. Alicia completely ignored one woman and began splashing not only the teacher but also Mark next to her. Despite the woman's stern reprimanding Alicia continued to do as she wanted until the woman finally looked over at me desperately.

"You will get students that do that." I said, thinking back to the more difficult students I'd dealt with over the years, "It doesn't matter if they knew you or if their parents are watching; they will muck around if they realise you aren't going to follow through with whatever you said you would do."

All of the women listened intently as I told them not to be afraid to sit a kid out. The women then carried on with her class and it was Mark who began playing around. I watched as the woman did everything as I would have done; gave him two warnings before putting him up on the ledge.

When I could tell that the women were becoming tired and a bit waterlogged from the day I ended the session, telling them we'll start back up tomorrow for a day of theory. They agreed and Nina volunteered her house for the session.

Alicia helped me pack up the lane rope we had used before we headed back up to the colony. We walked in silence, both tired from the afternoon; okay, so _I_ was tired and Alicia seemed to realise that I wasn't in a particularly chatty mood. We parted when we got to command central – me disappearing down the trail to Taylor's house and Alicia to her own. She hadn't been willing to let me go until I assured her I was going straight there to shower. She hadn't needed to worry about anything anyway; Taylor was seated at the bench sharpening one of his knives. I stared at the strange sight before shrugging and heading straight for the bathroom. His eyes locked with mine as I walked past before they dropped back down to his knife with a small smile.

I showered quickly, my stomach protesting from the minimal amount of food I'd had during the day. When I'd dressed, brushed my wet hair and decided I was presentable enough I headed back out to the kitchen. I was strangely amused to find Taylor still out sharpening his knives, taking care to ensure they were still sharp.

"Boys and their toys." I muttered to myself as I rummaged through the fridge for leftovers.

Taylor pointedly ignored me although the look I got was definitely a warning of sorts. Not that it held any real force behind it. I served us both a bowel of the casserole, heating it one at a time before I sat next to him. He only stopped when the smell of the casserole apparently reached him because the moment the bowl was in front of him he all but attacked it. It was amusing to say the least.

Unfortunately, neither of us got to enjoy dinner.

I jumped as some sort of alarm rang through the house; I had no idea what it meant but apparently Taylor did. Without a word he was on his feet, knife in his hand and had re-holstered several guns. I felt my stomach dropped as I came to the only threat that would get this reaction out of Taylor; the Sixers.

He seemed to notice my paling face and he was in front of me quickly, "You'll be fine." He said, uncharacteristically soft for him. "You're coming with me." He said, dragging me out before I could protest.

It was slightly terrifying to think that they would be here for me. It didn't seem like a real threat at the time, no matter how panicked it had made me after. Yet here I was allowing Taylor to drag me back to command central and instead of going up the stairs to his office, he took me to the ground floor, leading me down some steps to a basement type room.

"What's this?" I asked nervously as he pushed me inside.

He fiddled with some buttons on the wall, "It's the brig." He said roughly, pulling my arm over, "It's also used as a safe room. See that?" He pointed to a button. When I nodded he continued, "You press that when I leave – it'll lock the door so no one can come back inside. When I'm back, press it again and it'll open."

"You're leaving me down here?" I blurted out, my eyes wide.

He nodded and without a goodbye he walked out the door. He turned and gave me a levelled look; I pressed the button with shaky hands, watching as the door slid closed and locked me in. I was left in the brig alone and the silence was deafening. That was until the unmistakable sound of an explosion made the safe room shudder from the force of it. Fear clawed at my gut and I sank to the floor, my head in between my knees to try and calm myself.

I had never considered that the sixers would actually attack; it was absurd but I had never prepared myself mentally for the likelihood of that happening. A few soft pops could be heard from outside and I figured they were guns being fired but I had no way of knowing.

And then everything stopped.

I strained to hear anything but once again, all I could hear was silence. I dragged my hands through my hair, wanting to tug at the long strands in frustration. I jumped in shock at the sharp rapping on the door and I felt my body sink with relief when I saw Taylor. I scrambled over to the controls on the wall, pressing the same button as before to let him in. I all but launched myself at him, kind of surprised by my actions; I never figured myself to be one of those wimpy girls that clawed to their guys whenever they were scared. This wasn't exactly a normal situation and it was damn nerve wracking no knowing what was going on.

I pushed myself away, studying him to see if he had any injuries. When I was satisfied he was okay, I gave his chest a shove, "What the hell!"

He blinked at me in surprise, still tense from whatever had happened outside, "What?"

"Was it really necessary to _lock_ me in here?" I screeched.

He raised a brow, "Technically you locked yourself in here."

I gaped at him, speechless for a moment before launching myself at him again. My arms wrapped around his neck and I buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"Don't you dare leave me in here again." I muttered against his neck, feeling his arms circle my waist.

"It's the safest place if I'm not with you." He sighed, holding me to him.

"Don't care." I retorted.

"_I_ do."

I sighed and didn't argue, "We're talking about that later."

"Yes dear." He retorted.

I chuckled, unable to stop myself. "Can we go now?" I asked, exhaustion setting in once the adrenaline had worn off.

He nodded, setting me back on my feet gently, "Let's go. I'll tell you what happened."

"No one got hurt, did they?" I asked worried, my first thought going straight to Alicia.

He shook his head, "It was a small attack probably more to try and distract us. I'm thinking they were probably using it as a way to figure out where you were. I imagine the next one will be to see how long it takes for someone to get you there and how long it is before you're alone again."

I shuddered, not liking that thought, "They might not have been here because of me."

"It's true but I can't take that chance." He said quietly, letting me walk inside first.

"So you're expecting them to attack again?" I asked weakly, taking a seat at the bench again.

He nodded, "Most likely; so if I just so happen to drag you out of here in your pyjamas, you're not allowed to yell at me."

I knew he was trying to lighten the situation for me and all I could manage was a weak laugh, my stomach twisting uncomfortably at the thought. I didn't doubt for a second that he was mistaken; they would be back and all we – _I _ – could do was hope that no one would get hurt.

A/N thanks for all the reviews. I have the next few chapters planned so hopefully that means I'll have the next chapter up in a couple of days. This is my longest yet so I hope you enjoy! Thank you to all reading this story!


	11. Chapter 11

I own nothing other than Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Eleven

Taylor had most definitely been right; there were more attacks throughout the night.

The second time they attacked we had finished dinner and we were both relaxing on the couch. Well, I was relaxing and even though I could feel how tense Taylor was he did his best not to show it. The same alarm had gone off and sent fear coursing straight through me again. I didn't hesitate in following Taylor, knowing that the sooner I got to safety, the sooner he could get to work and get the issue resolved.

I did my best to keep up with Taylor's fast pace as he dragged me back to the brig but I was definitely panting by the time he got me back in the room. He didn't stick around to tell me what to do – he simply shoved me inside and turned on his heel to go back outside. I wasn't in there for very long, ten minutes maybe longer before everything went quiet.

The third time we had been asleep; Taylor bolted upright, an angry hiss the only sign that he was becoming pissed off with the sixers. I was still half asleep when Taylor pulled me out of bed and all but carried me back to the brig. The cold air woke me up and I was shivering by the time we reached the brig. The fourth time we had just walked in the house before the alarm went off again. Taylor cursed loudly and automatically we both turned and went straight back out. Taylor didn't even follow me to the brig this time, simply watched as I headed down the stairs.

We spent the rest of the night in the brig, neither of us wanting to get back to the house and having to turn around and go straight back down. It was more or less a horrible night and by the time morning came around I was just as exhausted as I had been when I went to bed. We returned to Taylor's house at dawn and I collapsed on the bed hoping that I would get a few hours of sleep before I had to meet the women for a day of swim theory.

When I did wake I found Alicia sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. It took me a few minutes to work out that Taylor had obviously returned to work and I wondered how long she had been here for. I didn't bother asking knowing that last night wouldn't have been all the tiring for her. I showered, glad that the hot water helped in waking me up enough that I could function somewhat.

We didn't discuss what had happened last night which I was grateful for. It had been nerve wracking enough just listening to everything that had happened and even though Taylor had told me the gist of what had happened, he left out the details that we both knew I didn't want to hear. I did know, however, that Alicia would eventually raise the issue to see how I was.

The women were all surprised when we turned up and admitted that they weren't sure the session would still be on after what had happened. We got to work immediately, all of us wanting something to distract ourselves with and they focused even more than the previous day if possible. I could tell from the bags under the women's eyes that they hadn't gotten much sleep and I didn't blame them.

"Since we all had such a pleasant night I'm not going to make today particularly long." I said before we started and I knew it was the right decision when I saw some sigh with relief.

We went through the younger classes before moving up to the higher levels. I explained the right techniques for each stroke and reassured a few panicked women that when it came to assessing a student that would be left up to me until someone volunteered to help out in that department.

I was grateful that we had Nina's house to spend the day in; it was much easier than doing this all by the pool. Not only was the room a decent temperature, there were enough seats for all of us to sit comfortably and talk. As the session came to an end I found the conversation had taken a turn from swimming and students to difficult husbands.

"The man has no concept of cleaning up after himself!" Nina told us, shaking her head.

Another – Leah – snorted and leaned forward, "You think that's bad? I remember when we were trying to put together the crib and instead of following the instructions he decides it's better to do what he thinks. We ended up having to get Boylan to fix it for us."

Alicia and I sat there silently as all the married women (which was everyone but us) bickered about their husbands. It was a fairly amusing afternoon and I learnt more than I'd wanted about each of their husbands. I could tell Alicia was amused as well despite her stony face; every now and then the corner of her mouth would twitch and her eyes were light with humour.

When they all turned to us, however, I eyed them wearily. "Your turn." Nina said to us.

Alicia and I eyed each other before looking back at the expectant women, "I'm not sure we follow." I said slowly.

Leah smirked at us, "I'm sure both of you have _some_ stories to tell about men that you've been with."

I looked at Alicia again before answering slowly, "Well a friend of mine dated someone that insisted that it wasn't cheating if it was with the same sex." I was met with surprised faces and I winced, "Sorry, is that a bit too 2010?"

They perked up at that although I knew they were trying to be subtle about their interest. "I think we could handle hearing some more." Leah said calmly. I could have sworn I saw a few of them edged closer.

I laughed, "You can just ask you know." I said pointedly. "What do you want to know?" I asked amused.

"Where are you originally from?"

"What did you live in?"

"Did you have any animals?"

"What was it like living at that time?"

I held my hand up as the questions continued to pour out at me. It was a little unnerving having them so interested in my time but I could understand it; I was a history teacher after all.

"Well, I'm originally from a city called Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. I grew up on six acres of land that we eventually sold off and from when I was twenty four until I came here I lived in a three bedroom unit by myself. I had two dogs when I was younger – Labradors – and three birds. I did have a couple of fish but my brother always seemed to kill them." I said, smiling at some of the memories that floated back, "It was sort of like this; I mean, we didn't have dinosaurs to worry about and we could travel more."

I felt my smile drop as I remembered the travelling I had done with my brother before he had met his wife. I felt guilty that this was the first time since arriving that I had thought about him; I knew that he would be going crazy trying to find me back home. I missed him, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he could be.

I drew my attention back to the present before I could think anymore of it; there was nothing I could do anyway. "Anything else?" I asked, secretly hoping that they would leave it at that for today.

Nina smiled sympathetically, "It must be hard."

I shrugged, knowing what she was talking about, "It could be worse."

Leah hesitated before asking, "Do you have family back in 2010?"

"My brother and his wife." I told them.

"Do you know how you got here?" One of the ladies asked curiously. "They only just found the time fracture a couple of years ago."

I shook my head even though I did know, "I have no idea; I walked out of my home and then ended up here."

The conversation became lighter as the topic turned to their kids; I listened as they told me how excited some of their kids were to get lessons while others told how terrified the kids had been when they found out.

"We'd better be going." Alicia said amused as I tried (and failed) to hide my yawn.

That set of a train of yawns and everyone agreed to meet back at Nina's house the next day at the same time. We didn't have much theory left but I wanted to get it all done so we could concentrate on the practical side of the lessons. Alicia and I said goodbye to each of the ladies and we walked through the colony which was mostly empty. It was later then I realised and I was looking forward to falling into bed.

Yet as we had just reached command central things went horribly wrong.

What seemed to be a grenade flew over the fence, landing near where Alicia and I were standing. Alicia reacted quicker than I did, grabbing me and flinging me to the ground just as the bomb exploded. It didn't do much however; the grenade, while small, was extremely powerful and sent us skidding across the dirt until we crashed into a wall. My head smashed against the wood wall roughly and my vision blurred from the impact.

I could just make out shouts from some of the soldiers when Alicia roughly pulled me to my feet and began dragging me toward the brig. We didn't get very far before a group of sixers came rushing at us, their guns pointed straight at us and while they were quick, Alicia was quicker. The explosion barely seemed to faze her as she shot down all three of the oncoming sixers before resorting to physical combat. It left me vulnerable as two approached me well aware of their target – me. I considered running down to the brig but I doubted I could have gotten there in time and they were both armed. They had their guns pointed at me but something told me they weren't about to shoot me.

Unfortunately for me, no one had explained that the guns they had – the sonic ones – had different levels of power. Perhaps if they had, I wouldn't have tried to fight the one that grabbed my arm to haul me toward the gate. See, I didn't fight him because he was dragging me away; I fought him because Alicia currently had a gun pressed to her head and I would be damned if my only friend in this place was going to get killed because of me. It didn't occur to me that Alicia probably already had a plan – she _was_ second in command after all – but apparently an adrenaline rush isn't a good thing for me to experience in situations like this because I do idiotic things.

Like get shot.

I remembered what I could from the self-defence classes that I had taken when I was in high school. That combined with the adrenaline rush I was high on I rammed my palm into the man's nose as hard as I could before grabbing his shoulders and kneeing him in the balls. As I ran over to help Alicia – who I think was shouting something at me but I couldn't be sure – I found myself running straight at the man that had the gun to her head. Before I could blink, he had swivelled his arm around until the gun was pointing straight at me and fired.

I could feel myself flying through the air and then nothing.

* * *

I woke to my head pounding and my body aching something shocking. At first I couldn't open my eyes, the light in the room slightly blinding so it took me a while until my eyes adjusted to the brightness. I didn't have the energy to groan; all I could manage was a small whimper.

I think I went in and out of consciousness; I remember a few nurses coming to check on me but it wasn't until I woke later that I saw someone that I knew. Alicia was sitting by my bed looking in perfect condition except a slight bruise she had on her forehead. My body and head were still throbbing but I ignored it long enough to pull myself upright. I felt hands helping me and I realised it was Alicia.

"Fancy seeing you here." I smiled weakly.

She gave me an exasperated look once she had helped me settle, "What the hell were you thinking?" She barked at me.

I winced at the volume, "Shh, inside voice." If I didn't know better I'd say I had a hangover.

"Don't you shush me!" She scolded, pressing her hands on my stomach.

I yelped and slapped her hands away, "What was that for?"

"I'm seeing what the damage is." She retorted and continued to prod at my stomach.

"Shouldn't a doctor be doing that?" I asked, wincing continually at her touch.

She glared at me, "I _am_ a doctor."

"Aren't doctors supposed to be _nice_?"

"Don't make me smack you!"

"But I'm injured!"

"_Who's fault is that?_" She all but screeched, pulling away and putting her hands on her hips, "Tell me; what the hell were you thinking?"

"When?" I asked slightly bewildered.

I think if I wasn't already injured she really would have smacked me, "When you decided it was a good idea to run straight at the guy holding a gun?"

It took me a moment to recap everything that had happened last night. "Hey, the bastard shot me!"

"If I didn't know you were doped up on drugs I'd be calling you an idiot by now." She said exasperated.

"What's my prognosis, doc?" I asked with a pained smile. If I was drugged then they certainly weren't strong enough.

She gave me a warning glance but I figured I could get away with it, being injured and all. "You have a few cracked ribs so they're going to be pretty sore for a while. Your wrist is broken and you have a few scratches on your face and arms. Your heads going to be sore for a couple of days; you hit it pretty hard from the first explosion and then when you hit the ground after being shot."

"How long will it be before I can get in the pool?" I asked worriedly.

Alicia gave me a pointed look, "Not any time soon."

I sighed frustrated, "Did anyone else get hurt?"

"No one else did anything stupid like you did." Alicia retorted, sitting back down at the seat next to me, "I'm still waiting for you to tell me exactly what you were thinking?"

"He was going to shoot you." I said as though it were obvious – which of course it was.

I don't think Alicia was quite expecting that response; she stared at me, "That doesn't explain..."

"He was going to shoot you, Alicia." I said slowly, "I wasn't going to stand there and let him shoot you."

A small smile appeared on her face, "Don't do it again." She said firmly but there was a flicker of understanding in her eyes.

"How exactly am I not dead?" I asked with a frown, "He did shoot me."

"It was a low setting." Alicia told me nonchalantly.

"Translation?" I quipped back.

She gave me a look that I was fast becoming quite used to seeing, "Sonic guns have varying settings. You got shot on the lowest – it'll hurt like hell but it won't kill you."

"Did they take anything?" Was it wrong to be hopeful that the sixers had come simply to steal?

"You know they didn't." She said leaning forward on the chair, resting her elbows on her knees, "I should probably warn you – Taylor's been on the war path ever since you got shot."

"He's that mad?" I asked with a wince.

Alicia snorted, "I haven't seen him this mad since one of the soldiers accidentally shot him."

I grinned, "How'd they survive?"

"They had to spar with Wash here until I was well enough to spar with them myself." Taylor's voice rang through the room startling me.

It didn't escape my attention the wary look Alicia gave Taylor as he stepped over to the bed I was on. I studied him and I was very aware of the anger radiating from him; if I didn't trust the man (and I had no idea when that happened) I would be cowering away from him right about now. He stopped when he was right by my bed, one hand resting against the headboard while the other one was by his side.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Taylor snarled, his voice matching the anger in his eyes as he repeated the exact same question the Alicia had earlier. The man was definitely pissed.

"He was going to shoot Alicia." I said, not in the least bit sorry for my actions. I'd gotten shot on the low setting from a distance away – the gun was pointed at her _head_. She wouldn't have lived and we all knew it.

He clenched his jaw and looked over at Alicia, "Wash?"

"It's true sir." She admitted grudgingly. "The distraction allowed us to gain the upper hand."

Despite Alicia's confirmation he still didn't look any less pissed. "What are her injuries?"

Alicia recited them quietly and if it were possible his anger intensified with each injury listed. He cursed under his breath and pushed away from the bed, pacing the small area with fists clenched by his sides. I didn't apologise for what I had done; if it meant saving the one friend I had in this time then I would do it again.

"Do you think they'll attack again?" I asked quietly.

He didn't stop pacing to look at me when he answered, "No." He growled back in response.

"Are you sure?" I asked nervously. I did not want to spend the next few nights locked up in the brig waiting for someone to get me when it was all over.

He paused, looking over at me. His gaze softened somewhat but he was still furious although now, I could tell, it wasn't at me. "Mira surrendered – they know if they come back again we won't hesitate in firing against them." He said reassuringly. He looked over at Wash and they shared a look. "Since we are sure this is the end of Mira's attempts to kidnap you – for now – we decided it would be safe for you to return to your home."

I blinked at this, not having even considered going back to the house I had barely lived in before moving to Taylor's. "What happens if she tries again?"

"We'll deal with that when the time comes." He said calmly. He looked back at Alicia, giving her a few orders. She nodded and left but not without telling me not to leave until she said so.

When we were alone he scanned over all the injuries Alicia had mentioned, pressing against the cracked ribs gently. When he was satisfied that they weren't life threatening he sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over, resting his weight on one hand while the other gently traced the cuts that I had acquired from both the explosion and the impact of hitting the ground after being shot. My eyes fluttered closed as he gently traced his lips over each cut before his lips trailed down my jaw before his lips sealed against mine. The kiss was soft at first, before something overtook us both and my hands were tangled in his short hair pulling him closer. The kiss became heated; tension and fear poured into the kiss, his hands twisting and tugging through my hair and I knew he was bringing his frustration and worry for me into the kiss.

I pulled back when the pounding in my head came to painful to ignore as much as I wanted to. I rested my forehead against his, my heart pounding wildly and my breathing heavy, much like his. My eyes opened and I smiled at him when our eyes met.

"I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not." I said quietly, my fingers playing with the short hair on the nape of his neck.

He sighed, "I know."

"I imagine this is revenge for all the times you're going to do this to me in the future." I joked weakly.

He froze for a minute, his eyes searching mine, "Do you mean that?" He asked quietly, the uncertainty in his voice a strange sound.

I knew what he was talking about and I wondered if this conversation would be less awkward with some distance between us. Nevertheless I didn't move, liking the closeness; it allowed me to imprint his features to memory – every laugh line around his eyes, the dark stubble growing across his jaw and his bright eyes that seemed to be a mix of blue and green.

I nodded, feeling the blush rise on my cheeks as I did so, "Only if this is what you want as well." I said nervously. How was I to know the man wanted me just as much as I wanted him?

He smiled, his eyes lightening, "I want this." He kissed me lightly again before pulling away, "Brianna Lee," He began, humour in his eyes, "will you allow me to court you?"

I couldn't help but laugh, glad that he was still smiling, "Court me? You are aware that the term is slightly outdated?"

He shrugged, "Courting sounds better than dating."

"Well in that case, yes I will allow you to court me." I said still smiling.

"Good because I'm not a man that takes no very well." He retorted.

A/N thanks to all who are reading and reviewing. Hope you like this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Twelve

A month had passed since that last attack on Terra Nova by the sixers and each day I found myself worrying less and less about them returning for me. Soon they became a distant thought in the back of my mind although I still had my fair share of reminders of my last encounter with the sixers.

My injuries that I had sustained from the last fight had taken time to heal as Alicia had sternly told me. I had wanted only to continue the last few days of training the future swim teachers but I had been forced to sit on the sidelines while Alicia and Mark took over the lessons while having input every now and then. It had taken all my womanly wiles just to get Taylor to agree on me sitting on the side of the pool and watching. He had taken to ensuring I followed every last order from Alicia plus adding a few of his own demands which he had told me was payback for getting shot in the first place.

I grudgingly realised that I wouldn't have been much use in the pool; my ribs ached endlessly and more often than not it kept me up at night. The nights, I might add, that Taylor didn't spend with me. The less I did, however, the quicker my wrist and ribs healed until I was more than well enough to join the others back in the pool.

The pool had opened for lessons only recently; we had held off until I was well enough to be in the pool with the women. They had wanted me to be ready to help out if they needed it and as I floated around the pool I couldn't help but feel proud by the now confident teachers that took proper classes. I had made the classes smaller than I normally would have only because I knew that none of the students would have been in a pool before and there weren't as many kids in the colony.

The majority of the colony had come down to see the opening of the pool and once lessons were done we encouraged the onlookers to go into the pool. Some had gone in eagerly while others simply dipped their feet in or sat on steps. It had been a fun day, everyone returning to the colony to have a festival of sorts.

Taylor took our courting very serious and I couldn't help but wonder if that was to give his soldiers a proper example of how to treat a woman. I had heard plenty of stories about the single soldiers that spent most of their time off duty either drinking or challenging each other in picking up different girls in the colony. Taylor knew about these challenges and while most had stopped after a fairly terrifying training session with their Commander (he had yet to tell me exactly what he said to them) there were still some that ignored Taylor's clear warning and did what they wanted. Still, there was something so unbelievably awesome about being treated with respect and wanted by an extremely attractive man.

Life was definitely good.

With the pool now open I spent the majority of my time on deck instead of teaching actual classes. I didn't mind only being in the water once a week and it was more fun then I remembered going around and talking to parents. I think most of that was because Terra Nova was such a close community and I saw parents more than just once a week when they turned up for lessons.

It was currently assessment week and it was definitely taking longer than I'd planned. I'd ended up talking with parents for longer than I could afford to but I found myself not caring. Despite how long I spent chatting I always got around to every student but by the end of the day I was definitely exhausted. I helped pack up the lane ropes and store away the floats that we had crafted for the younger students before we all trudged back up to the colony.

I jumped as strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me into a firm chest. Taylor laughed the sound rumbling through his chest and he rested his chin on my shoulder. "How was work?"

"I talk too much." I sighed, resting my head back against his chest. The man was too tall for me to reach his shoulders.

He moved from behind me to beside me, keeping one arm wrapped around my shoulder so I was pressed up against him, "Who finally told you?" He asked teasingly.

I elbowed him in the side, "Don't be mean to me or you can make your own dinner." We continued walking and I smiled at some parents as we walked past the market, "How was your day?" There are times when I wonder if he realises how much we sound like an old married couple.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." He said vaguely and that was enough of a hint that he'd done something he didn't want me to know about.

I tilted my head to look at him and his carefully blank face, "Spill."

He looked down, his face torn between amusement and guilt, "I may or may not have gone outside the gates."

"May have?" I prodded, my eyes narrowed but I already knew the answer. I just wanted to hear him say it.

He sighed, "Fine I went outside the gates." He gave me a pointed look, "You do remember that I'm the Commander here."

"Your point?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My point is that I don't have to explain my actions."

"That was before we started dating – _courting_," I corrected with a roll of my eyes when he frowned at the word, "And using the 'I'm the Commander, hear me roar' excuse isn't going to work on me."

"You know how he loves using that excuse." I heard Alicia add in from behind us.

I looked over my shoulder and smiled at her although it was far from pleasant, "And I suppose you went outside the gates as well."

Alicia smirked at me, "Since we're not _courting_ I don't really have to worry about your miniature wrath."

"No, but you do get to worry about whether I'll feed you or not." I retorted, stepping away from Taylor to open the front door.

"Yeah except that's the only thing you have over me and _I_ can actually cook unlike someone." She gave Taylor a not so subtle glance as she said this which he pointedly ignored.

I smiled sweetly at her, "I can always get someone to put you on pool duty for the month."

"He wouldn't." Alicia retorted crossing her arms.

I snorted, "Are you having sex with him?" At her horrified look (and Taylor's) I grinned, "Then he sure as hell would."

Okay, so we weren't actually having sex – we _had_ only been dating (courting, whatever) for a month. It's not that neither of us wanted to because we both did; it's just that we weren't particularly interested in rushing into anything. Besides, it was kind of amusing getting him, you know, _excited_ and then pulling away right before we had to go out into town. I've gotten my fair share of dirty looks for doing that (he falls for it _every time_ so really, it's his own fault) but he definitely got his revenge by getting me all worked up and then leaving me handcuffed to the bed while he went out to have dinner.

Taylor sighed, "Is there any chance of you two leaving me out of this?"

"Nah." We replied simultaneously.

Alicia and Taylor both sat at the bench while I cooked; I listened as Alicia gave Taylor her report and while I tried to understand what they were talking about I swear they switched languages at some point. I stopped listening and went about making some spaghetti with proper meat balls. I had refused to let Taylor into the kitchen since he deliberately switched my regular mince with some form of dinosaur and didn't both to tell me until we were eating. Since then, he'd been banned from entering the kitchen unless it was to clean up the dishes. Alicia, the smart ass, had found my expression hilarious and I had promptly kicked the both of them out but not before I tipped the dino-meat on Taylor. He hadn't found it quite so hilarious when he had to walk through the colony with meat dripping down from his head.

It was our ritual since I had moved back to the house I originally started in – not the dumping meat on Taylor although that would certainly make mine and Alicia's day kind of perfect. At some point at the end of the day we all found ourselves walking toward my home and while I had a sneaking suspicion that it had begun with them making sure I got home safe it had turned into a daily routine that I looked forward to now. The only days we didn't have dinner together was when the two of them shared the night patrol. It was different, but nice, having your boyfriend (not that Taylor was by any means a boy) and closest friend hang out every night; I had never done anything like this regularly back in 2010.

It had been a while since I'd thought back to home – or what _had_ been my home. I didn't regret my bizarre arrival in Terra Nova – I actually thought of it as one of the best things that had happened to me – but every now and then I would be reminded of my brother and an unwilling thought of what my niece and nephew would be doing would cross my mind. My laptop, which I had been certain wouldn't be able to work with the different technology in Terra Nova, had thankfully survived. Some of the scientists had found a way to adapt the battery so that I could charge it and keep using it even though I had been assured I could get one of their data pad things. My laptop contained all my photos from various holidays and birthdays and I'd even managed to print out some photos and stuck them around the place. I knew that while I would never see my family again I didn't want to forget them.

I'd been focused on cooking rather than what they had been saying until I caught the end of the quiet conversation.

"Just ask her!" Alicia hissed, clearly no longer worried about being insubordinate.

Taylor frowned, "I can't just drop it on her!"

"Yes you can!"

"You know what she gets like whenever someone mentions it!"

"Grow some balls Nathaniel and ask her!" She was probably the only person I knew that actually called him by his name.

"Is there something bothering you two?" I asked lightly well aware that by now they were talking about me. They both froze and looked over at me; Taylor's eyes darted from my eyes and to the knife I was holding casually in my hand. "Honey, if I wanted to cut your balls off I'd have done it already." I said sweetly, continuing to chop up the vegetables.

I grinned as Taylor shifted uncomfortably in his seat while Alicia retorted, "Nathaniel has something he wants to ask you."

Taylor glared at her, "I never picked you for a coward Wash."

"I could say the same about you." She retorted coolly, not taking the bait.

"Oh, would one of you spit it out already?" I exclaimed. "Seriously, you two bicker worse than me and my brother." We all froze at that comment; like I said, I didn't really talk much about my family. I blinked and then continued to chop the vegetables for the sauce, "What is it?"

"The head of education has made a request." Taylor said after a pause, "He would like it if you could come in and take some history lessons."

"That's it?" I asked sceptically. They nodded cautiously and I shrugged, "That's fine, but it'll have to fit around my pool shifts."

Alicia looked at me incredulously, "Brianna, you work there every day." I think she was wondering if I was going insane.

"Your point?"

"How is the school going to work around your pool shifts if you _work there every day_?" Taylor asked.

I shrugged, "I don't know; not really my problem is it." I grinned as I began cooking the vegetables in with the mince.

Taylor muttered something under his breath but smiled innocently when he noticed I was glaring. He didn't raise the question again and neither did I; he would get someone to organise the schedule so that I had time to get to the school. It's not like I never expected the school to ask me to come in, I just found that I preferred being down at the pool.

Since tomorrow night they would both be on their patrols I set aside some for them to have before they started knowing that they would have enough time to cook before their shift. The first time I had done that they'd been teased – well, Alicia had been teased – by some of the soldiers until they'd smelt how damn good my food was. They all made sure they ate before going to their shifts now.

I handed Alicia hers as I walked her to the door, "Try not to terrify anyone on the way home." I said dryly, remembering past nights when there had been a few soldiers to shriek in surprise at their Lieutenant sneaking up on them.

She grinned, "I'll try, I promise." She said goodbye to Taylor before heading off down the dimly lit path. We stayed at the door listening out into the night and grinned when we both heard a not-so-quiet curse from a soldier.

"She really needs a hobby." I said to Taylor, "Or maybe just a sex-buddy." I added as an afterthought.

Taylor winced, "I don't want to think about that."

I smirked at him, "I hope you're not living some deluded fantasy where Alicia is a virgin and unappealing to all men."

"No, only the men _here_." Taylor quipped back, wrapping his arms around my waist and drawing me in for a hug.

I snorted, wrapping my arms around his neck, "I pity the day she starts dating someone."

Taylor laughed and straightened so my feet were left dangling in the air. I pulled back and gave him a mock-indignant look, not that it lasted particularly long. He kissed the look straight off my face as he walked us through the house until we reached my bedroom. I let out a small oof as he dumped me on the bed and I leaned up on my elbows to look up at him.

"Was that really necessary?"

He grinned as he covered my body with his, "No but it was fun."

I tried to retort but it's not that easy when you have a very attractive man kissing you. I tried to resist, I swear...or not. Who the hell _would_? Without thinking or particularly caring to, I let my hands drop to the hem of his black shirt to peel it off him, only breaking the kiss to pull it over his head. While I knew he was a boob man (he certainly hadn't denied it) I was definitely an arms and chest type of girl and there was no doubt that the man was built.

He was always careful to ensure that he wasn't crushing me; his body hovered over mine, a few centimetres between us – a few painful centimetres I might point out. It wasn't the gap that was bothering me per se but more the fact that his body warmth, which I had become so used to, was barely reaching me. My body arched towards his, seeking out the warmth that I had come so used to. Taylor seemed to know what I was trying to do and pulled back teasingly, his lips trailing down to nip and suck at the sensitive spot on my neck. The man loved his control and while we both knew he was far stronger than I was, there were rare moments when I could surprise him.

He was far too occupied teasing me to notice my legs wrapping around his waist. In a move that surprised even me, I flipped us over so I was now on top. He stared up at me, grinning lazily and I _knew_ the bastard had let me flip us over. His grin faded and his eyes fluttered closed when I ground my hips down against his, a low moan escaping him. I leaned down, my body covering his; while my hands explored the muscles on his chest my lips trailed their way across his jaw and to his neck. It was due time to get revenge for all the marks he had left on my neck, especially the nights before I was working a shift in the water. I nipped and sucked at one particular spot that I knew drove him crazy (and it was too far up for his shirt to cover). He hissed at the sensation, his hands locked on either side of my waist and his fingers dug into my skin. While I knew there would be light bruises there tomorrow, it was totally worth it.

When I was satisfied that by tomorrow he would have a decent mark on his neck I switched to the other side of his neck, copying my actions from before. One of his hands slipped underneath my shirt to skim across my stomach and stop just below my bra and leaving a trail of heat across my skin. As his thumb brushed against the underwire of my bra he nuzzled his face into my neck until I looked up at him. Immediately his lips attacked mine, his free hand coming up to cradle the back of my head and keep me where he wanted me.

"I know what you're doing." He breathed, his lips skimming leisurely across my jaw.

I grinned and my eyes fluttered closed as his lips moved from my chin and down my neck until his lips stopped just above my breasts. "I don't know what you're talking about." I gasped, my head lolling back as his hand beneath my shirt moved up to palm my breast.

"Yes you do." He tsked, sitting up with me still on his lap. "People are going to see." He didn't sound bothered by that at all.

I grinned at him, one arm going around his neck, "Oh the scandal."

He laughed and the sound vibrated straight through me. "You're a bad influence."

"How so?" I replied breathily.

He spoke in between kissing me, "My soldiers...used to be...respectfully fearful of me..."

"Oh yes, I'm such a bad influence." I said sarcastically.

"Now they see a tiny woman telling me off." A hand slipped up to palm my breast again.

I smiled, kissing him, "Yes well, the tiny woman has every right to tell you off."

He laughed, "You're the _only_ tiny one that's allowed to."

"Good answer."

At some point we ended up lying back down, Taylor behind me with his arm wrapped around my waist. When I'd managed to pull away from him I slipped into my pyjamas, not bothered about going into another room to change. I was aware of his eyes on me as I slipped my top off and my bra but it didn't feel wrong having him stare at me.

"I should go." He murmured when I began to doze off.

I snuggled closer, "Just stay the night."

It's not like we hadn't shared a bed before because we clearly had.

"I can't; early shift tomorrow." He said regretfully. "I'll see you in the morning."

I followed him out of the room and to the door; I leaned up on my toes to kiss him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled against my lips, kissed me once more before pulling away. I leaned against the doorway, watching as he walked down the path and out of my sight. I sighed and pulled the door close, ensuring that I locked the door, turned off the lights and then headed to the bathroom to do my teeth and brush my hair. I was just about to slip back into bed when I heard a loud thump coming from the kitchen. I frowned, pausing; both Alicia and Taylor had a key to my home and I doubted that Alicia was back. I wondered if Taylor had left something here.

"Taylor?" I called out, moving to the door way.

I flicked on the lights, moving further into the living room when I couldn't see anything. I frowned before sighing, thinking I was imagining things. It had been a long day so I dismissed the sound as a figment of my tired brain.

Only it wasn't.

I turned to head back to my room when the intruder jumped out from behind me. I didn't even get a chance to turn around, simply felt a hard thump against my head and found myself falling to the ground before I blacked out.

A/N thank you to all reviewers. Just to clarify once again, this story takes place before the Shannon's arrive. I'm hoping that if I get around to doing a sequel it will be when they come to Terra Nova. Thanks for all reading, hope you enjoy!


	13. Chapter 13

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Warning: slight sexual assault in chapter

Chapter Thirteen

I was really getting sick of hitting my head. It's a strange thing to think about, especially when coming to from being whacked across the head but it hurt like a bitch. This time I didn't wake with drugs being pumped through me so the pain and grogginess was tenfold. My eyes were blurred and refused to focus; I was able to deduce that the lights in the living room had been turned on but everything else remained dark blotches in my vision. A groan threatened to escape me but I held it in, not wanting to alert the intruder that I was coming too.

I could hear the deep voices of a man – of two men – in my kitchen and I strained to hear what they were saying.

"What the hell...so long?" One man muttered.

One of them was rummaging through my cupboards, "Taylor's paranoid...got to be careful."

"We should have...by now." What the hell were they talking about?

"Mira said... more effective ...awake."

I stopped trying to listen at the mention of Mira; dread coursed through me when it dawned on me who the men were sent by. We (Alicia, Taylor and I) had assumed that the fight a month ago had been the last efforts of the Sixers to try and get to me for the time being. Now, I realised belatedly, that it was simply a ploy to make us believe they had given up. They had been waiting for us to slip up, become comfortable and safe again before striking when we literally didn't expect it.

I wondered how long it would take someone to realise what was going on, if someone figured it out at all. Taylor would search me out before his shift and would know immediately that something was wrong but he had already told me that they had no idea where the Sixer camp was. I knew by now he would have gone straight back to his house and, knowing him and how tirelessly he worked for the colony, he would be dead to the world. The man was strangely impossible to wake up; one would think that being a soldier he would wake easily, always prepared for a fight. And while that was true to some extent, I knew that there were days when the role of being Commander of Terra Nova took its toll on him physically and mentally and I knew he would continue doing his duty to the people here until it killed him.

I opened my eyes again, glad to find I could make out the shapes of the men a bit more easily. They were still in the kitchen, their attention solely on whatever food they had found in my fridge and cupboards. As quietly as I could I rolled off the couch that I had been dumped on and quickly I crawled into my bedroom, knowing that if I risked going for the front door they would certainly see me. I made it to my room undetected and I looked around somewhat desperately; I really needed to make Taylor show me how to fire a damn gun. My stomach twisted painfully as I couldn't help but think if I ever saw him again.

I froze when the murmuring in the kitchen had stopped; I scanned the room frantically before grabbing a lamp from my bedside table. I edged toward the door, fear and adrenaline coursing through me when I couldn't find the intruders in the kitchen. I stayed where I was, not about to walk out into a room with multiple hiding places and make things easy for them. I think they expected me to fall for their not so brilliant trap. I don't know about the twenty second century but the twenty first had more than enough horror and scary films to know that you _never_ go into the suddenly empty room. So I stayed where I was, clutching the lamp and ready to swing and attack.

So when the first guy let out an impatient huff and strolled into the room, I swung the lamp straight into his head. It was certainly pleasing to see the semi giant stumble from the impact and then drop to the ground as I hit him again. His body was now blocking the entry to my bedroom and I knew the other would have to step over him to get me. It was a few tense moments before I saw the shadow looming in the doorway. I held still until he came into view and instead of aiming for his head I went a little lower, managing to knock the air out of him. As quick as I could manage I pushed him out of the way and darted towards the front door and yet I didn't get very far. I reached the kitchen bench when I felt two strong arms wrap around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides. It was at that point that I screamed as loud as I could, hoping to get someone, _anyone's_ attention. I didn't have long enough to get anyone's attention; the man behind me slammed me up against the kitchen bench and quickly yanked something out of the bag lying next to my head.

_That_ got my attention.

In his hand was a long syringe filled with a clear solution. Before I could release the even louder scream that was bubbling up in my chest, he jabbed the needle into my arm and pushed the liquid into me. The scream died in my throat and my futile struggles died down as the drug kicked in and overpowered my body. I was left barely able to move my limbs and I found myself sinking to the floor as the man let go of me. The other finally made a noise, coming to at the small sound of protest I made when the man hauled me up and dragged me out of the kitchen and left me lying in a heap at the foot of the couch closest to the kitchen.

My chest become tighter with every breath I took, my body overcome with uncontrollable fear as unwilling thoughts rose with each passing second. They knew I was now helpless otherwise they wouldn't have left me unrestrained. Even without being rendered all but useless they were both undoubtedly strong enough to make me do whatever they wanted by force alone. It was a terrifying thought and I flinched away as the man I had knocked down trailed a finger down one side of my face.

"You reckon Taylor's fucked her yet?" He asked his companion crudely.

The other snorted and I could feel his eyes scanning my body, "He's left her some pretty marks. Possessive bastard, isn't he?"

I clenched my eyes shut as I felt the man's hand trail down my neck and to my breast, squeezing it painfully, "You reckon we can take her now?"

"We'll have time for that later." The other said.

I wanted to vomit when the man's hand began ripping my shirt down the middle until it hung uselessly by my shoulders. I wanted nothing more than to push the hands away but all I could manage was a weak tap against the hands which did little more than amuse the man groping me.

"Don't think I can wait that long." The man grinned down at me lewdly.

He was pushed off my by the other man, "It's almost time." He growled, his eyes trailing across my body.

The other grumbled but didn't return to me. They went back to the kitchen and while I had no idea what they were doing I desperately tried to think of _something_ that could get me out of this situation. The drug (or perhaps it was simply fear) rendered me not only immobile but also voiceless. I felt dizzy and nauseous but I tried to ignore it as I searched the area around me for something to use. I don't know what I could use, exactly, but it was better than lying here waiting for them to get away with kidnapping me.

I'd almost missed it in my hastiness; a bag, not too far from where I was lying, was under the table. I hadn't noticed it when I woke more interested in getting away then seeing if they had left anything lying around. Slowly I turned my head to make sure they weren't focused on me and after a few breaths I used whatever energy I had left to crawl over to the bag quietly. With the zip undone it was easy to remain quietly while I looked through it; a felt hope rise within as I pulled out a sonic gun and a sharp knife. I hid the knife in top of my pants and clutched the gun like it was my only lifeline which I guess it was.

I pulled myself upright, not liking the dizziness that overpowered me for a moment. I had a better view of the men and it seemed that they were simply looking out the window for something. I figured that would be a sign of some sort letting them know they could get me out of the colony. I gave the gun a quick once-over before sealing my finger over the trigger button; I aimed and without hesitation I fired at the two of them.

Neither had expected the sudden blast the gun released and I saw them both go down. Instantly I crawled as quickly as I could toward the door, ignoring my blurred vision and shaking limbs that protested with each movement. The closer I got to the door, the more I pushed until my hand was reaching up to grasp the handle.

A hand grabbed me by the hair and yanked, hauling me backwards. I cried out, startling by the action and the sharp pain that followed the harsh attack. I landed unceremoniously on my back, my eyes wide as the man groping me before leaned over me. From my peripheral vision I could see his companion still unconscious in the kitchen.

"You're not going anywhere without us." He sneered, his hands roaming my body. "I guess now we have to wait until my buddy over there wakes up."

I fought weakly as one hand pushed and tugged at my breasts while the other dipped lower to crawl up the hem of my shorts. I struggled at the feel of his fingers invading me and whimpered as he leaned down to bite at the marks that had previously been left by Taylor. I was crying by this point, nowhere close to giving up fighting even when I felt the man's sick arousal. It had been that that reminded me of the knife I still had on me.

"We're gonna have good fun with you." He breathed, not paying attention to my hand disappearing under the top of my shorts. "There are a lot of rich people that'll pay for you. That's the only reason why you're even here; you're gonna be nothing more than a baby machine. The rich bastards get their time with you and then the wives get a babe at the end of it." His lips were still brutally attacking my neck, "You never had the chemicals and pollution that we did growing up; any kid of yours is gonna be ten times healthier than anything our women can pop out."

_That_ was why they wanted someone from my time? To produce babies that had a higher life expectancy?

As he reached down to unzip his pants I acted quickly. I brought the knife out and thrust it into his stomach, twisting the handle slowly once it was buried to the hilt. He froze, blood gurgling in his throat and I pushed him off with whatever strength I had left. I knew I was covered in his blood but I didn't stick around to see if the other man was going to wake up.

I pushed to my feet, sagging against the wall and clawing desperately at the front door until it opened. My feet stumbled as I went down the path and the sound of voices ahead had me moving faster and faster.

I saw Mark before he saw me; he had his rifle in one hand, the other casually by his side. He was walking with another soldier, one I didn't know by name, and when he saw me he began shouting out orders. I flinched as his hands wrapped around me, holding me upright as my body began to slump once the adrenaline had left my body. Things became blurred and dark but I didn't try and fight off the inevitable, sinking into unconsciousness where I didn't need to feel any pain.

* * *

Let's just say that when I woke, it wasn't pretty for anyone involved.

It was a rather unfortunate moment for me to wake as the male doctor was checking my vitals. My eyes fluttered open and I remember seeing dark hair and the physical form of a male; I screamed. I screamed loudly, my hands rising to push the stranger away and I threw myself off the bed. The doctor was in shock but recovered quickly, moving over to try and calm me down but I was pretty damn hysterical.

I backed into the corner of the room, pressing right up into the wall; I think I might have been hoping that the wall would swallow me up and I would be away from the man in front of me. My scream alerted other staff that I was awake and suddenly the small area was flooded with nurses all concerned. I didn't calm though, _couldn't_ calm; I was in a part of the infirmary that I hadn't been in before and I was convinced that I was in the Sixer camp.

It wasn't until Taylor came bursting into the room that people backed away. I could see Alicia behind him, the worried look on her face an unusual sight. As Taylor came towards me I could help but flinch away from him; he stopped dead, looking unusually pale for a man that spent the majority of his time in the sun.

For a moment I wondered if the drug that I had been given was causing me to hallucinate – maybe I _was_ in the Sixer camp. Didn't Taylor say his brother was the leader of the Sixers? How was I to know that the man in front of me wasn't him? I clutched my head, sinking into a ball as I tried to fight off the irrational panic that was consuming me. I kept chanting in my head '_It's him, it's him, it's him_' and I heard someone curse under their breath.

"Brianna, look at me."

That voice was familiar, safe. I lifted my head, my hands still tangled in my hair as I looked up at Alicia. She was kneeling beside me while the Taylor-look-alike had moved away.

"Alicia?" I needed to hear her say it.

"It's alright Bree," She said softly, using the nickname Taylor and her had began calling me, "You're safe."

I shook my head, feeling more insane by the minute, "No, no, no." I muttered and retreated back to the wall, "Not safe." I mumbled.

"You need to calm down." She instructed gently, "Otherwise they'll need to sedate you..."

She never got to finish her sentence; the first mention of drugs had me trying to haul myself out of the room. Alicia caught me, her arms wrapped around my arms to stop me from hitting her, and I continued to fight against her weakly.

"No more drugs." I pleaded, feeling sick at the thought of being laced with another drug.

Alicia's face hardened but I barely noticed, "Alright." She said soothingly, "Sit down; get back in bed."

I hesitated for a moment, glad when Alicia didn't try and push me to move quicker. When I felt my pulse return to normal I slipped back into bed, tucking my knees up against my chest. Alicia sat down on the edge of the bed, one hand comfortingly resting on my knee. I could still see Taylor standing towards the edge of the room, watching me with angry eyes. As my panic faded my senses seemed to come back to me and I relaxed, realising that I was safe.

I looked over at Taylor, his eyes still angry but I knew the anger wasn't at me, "Nathaniel." I whispered.

That was all he needed before he was at my side; his arms were around me in a heartbeat, his chin resting on top of my head that I had tucked under his. I didn't feel remotely embarrassed as I all but sobbed into him, my hands clutching at his shirt to keep him close.

"They're gone now, Bree." He whispered, "They're not going anywhere near you again."

I didn't hear Alicia leave, didn't know she had left until I finally looked up. Taylor had manoeuvred us so that I was now curled up on his lap, his arms around me securely. I rested my head under his chin was again, closing my eyes as I listened to the steady beat of his heart.

"What happened to them?" I finally whispered after a moment. I had to know.

Taylor seemed to realise that as well because he answered me quietly, "The one you stabbed is dead. The other is in a coma and handcuffed to the bed just to be safe."

I shuddered and tried to lean further into his embrace; he tightened his hold on me, seeming to know what I wanted. A few tears leaked down my cheeks but I was no longer sobbing uncontrollably. I felt drained, physically and mentally and beyond terrified of more coming after me.

"I know why they brought me here." I managed to push the words out despite the lump in my throat that formed from the thought.

"Don't think about it now." He gently stroked my hair, an act so unlike him it was actually comforting to know that the man could still surprise me, "Just rest; we'll deal with everything else later."

"Don't leave." I whispered.

I knew it was unfair to ask that of him; he had the colony to protect and to serve. I knew the colony was his life; he spent hours tirelessly ensuring that the citizens of Terra Nova were kept safe and I saw the physical results that sacrifice produced. I had seen the cuts and sometimes stitches he had come back with from being outside the gates. The colony was his life and I knew asking him to stay would prevent him from ensuring that everyone else stayed safe from the Sixers as well.

"I won't." He promised, kissing the top of my head.

And I knew he wouldn't; despite his commitment to the colony I knew he wouldn't leave. And that was the only reason I allowed myself to fall back asleep, feeling safe in his arms.

A/N thanks for all the reviews. I will try to include more of Taylor's commitment to the colony but I think that's going to be more for the sequel to this. I think this story begins roughly a year before the Shannon's arrive. Thank you to all who review and read this story. I'll update as soon as I can.


	14. Chapter 14

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Fourteen

As promised, Taylor stayed with me the whole night.

I woke two times during the night, one from nightmares that had me screaming and the other that just had me waking in a cold sweat but Taylor stayed through it all. We didn't talk about what had happened the moments when I was awake, Taylor seeming to be determined to make me get as much sleep as I could before raising the issue with me. I just wanted to get it all over with so I could move past what had happened; not that it would be that simple. I knew it wouldn't but one can only hope for these things.

When I did finally wake in the morning Taylor was still lying with me. For a moment I allowed myself to pretend that last night went differently; Taylor had stayed the night and we'd had a quiet night together. That little dream lasted but a few moments as I studied his face, the bags under his eyes an unsettling deep blue and if I didn't know any better I'd say he had been punched. Except I _did_ know better; the man was exhausted from his work as Commander and although he didn't tell me I knew he'd been working late the past few weeks in preparation for the next pilgrimage.

I gently reached up to brush away a strand of hair that was caught in his eyelash. He shifted at the contact and as my hand continued to travel down his cheek to his jaw that was rough with dark stubble his eyes opened. We didn't speak for a moment, both content to stay in the little bubble we had created even though we knew it would have to end sooner or later.

"Bree." He said quietly, reaching up to grasp my hand in his larger one.

I could feel the calluses on his skin, the skin rough from years of using his hands for whatever needed to stay alive. His other hand moved to push my fringe from my eyes, his hand resting on my cheek; it was a movement done out of habit, his thumb gently stroking the soft skin on my cheek. He seemed as relieved as I did when I didn't flinch away from his touch like I had earlier. My reaction to him when I first woke worried me; what if the fear of men didn't leave? How did someone get past that? How did someone get past almost being kidnapped and raped in their home? What would – _will_ happen between me and Taylor?

So when the initial fear I'd felt previously hadn't overtaken me when waking up next to him I was hesitantly relieved and now I knew that I wouldn't be consumed with irrational panic at his touch or presence. That alone was a comfort, knowing that I could handle him being near me physically.

"I'm fine." I murmured and neither of us believed the words that came instantly out of my mouth.

"No you're not." He disputed, "And no one expects you to be."

"I can't think about it, not yet..." I'd do anything to put off the anxiety swelling in my chest at the mere thought of reliving what happened.

"You told me last night that you found out why they brought you here." I could deal with that part of the nightmare I had been forced to live.

I nodded, resting my head down on his chest as I spoke. It was strangely comforting to hear his beating heart; it kept the anxiety and dread from rising out of control, "Apparently I'm here to be their baby machine."

I don't know what he was expecting me to say but it certainly wasn't that. Perhaps another time I might find this a bit funny; even though I couldn't see his expression I was sure his mouth had dropped open and a stunned look was in his eyes.

"A _what_?" He asked simultaneously sounding horrified and confused.

"I was never exposed to the toxins in the air growing up." I told him, "That apparently makes for good babies whom rich people will pay for."

Taylor let out a string of curses under his breath and not all of them were in English. I'd have to get him – or Alicia – to teach me a few of those words.

"_That's_ why they brought you here; to sell you off to be raped and pop out babies?" I flinched as his words brought home just how close that had happened last night. He realised that too and immediately apologised, "I'm sorry." He said quietly, kissing the top of my head. "Did they mention anything about the portal?"

I knew he had to ask questions – not only as the Commander of Terra Nova but because he was worried about my safety. I guess he would see things in their words that I wouldn't necessarily.

"They didn't mention it at all. Why?"

"We need to know if they've already figured out how to make the portal go both ways or if bringing you here was a miscalculation that they realised would work in their favour." I could tell he didn't want to tell me that but the man was anything but a liar.

"What happens now?" I wondered how he would take to me refusing to return to that house.

It seemed I didn't have anything to worry about though, "We're moving you back in with me as soon as you're released."

I tilted my head back to see if he was serious, "You don't have to do this..." I didn't want him asking me to move back in with him just because of this attack.

"I _want_ you to move in with me." He said it so firmly that I didn't doubt him. He was not a man to act without thinking.

"I don't know what I'll be like." I admitted quietly; I was terrified about how I was going to react around the people in the colony – around the _men_ that lived here. It wasn't fair to put such suspicion on them but I couldn't help but feel weary about going anywhere near a man that wasn't Taylor.

"We'll get through this together." Taylor said calmly.

I nodded and cautiously pulled myself upright; I winced at the pain that flared in my head. Taylor took the majority of my weight and helped me swing my legs out of the bed, demanding that I let him help or he'd carry me to the bathroom. It was easier to let him help me, my legs stiff after sleeping on top of Taylor for most of the night.

I took one glance of myself in the mirror and almost threw up; an ugly contusion was covering my forehead and my neck was covered in small bite marks that had bruised horribly. I didn't care that Taylor was still in the room when I lifted my shirt to see the damage the bastard had done from my chest done; I could see the clear outline of fingers and even a whole hand on various parts of my torso where the Sixer had groped me.

Seeing the physical damages that the night had resulted in was too much; I pushed Taylor aside as I finally did vomit. He gently pulled my hair back while I emptied my stomach, his strong arms supporting me when my stomach had nothing left to throw up. I didn't move for a few moments, trying to control my breathing and stop the sobs that were wracking through my chest. The bruises on my body were just another humiliating reminder of how close I had come to being raped and how close I had come to spending a life as nothing more than a possession to sell off to various people.

"I'm sorry." I croaked after I was finished bawling my eyes out.

Taylor helped me upright, keeping a hand on me to hold me steady, "Don't you ever apologise for what they did to you." He said firmly.

"I'm going to take a shower." I told him quietly, squeezing his hand to thank him and let him know I was okay.

He nodded and left but not before kissing the ugly bruise on my forehead tenderly. I gave him a watery smile as he handed me a bag and then closed the door gently and stripping. The hot water felt nice on my body, soothing away the aches that the night had caused. I scrubbed myself with soap, wanting to get the feel of the Sixer's hands off of me and to just feel clean again. My stomach growled and so I hurried when drying off and getting dressed. The shirt I pulled out of the bag Taylor gave me was definitely not mine; it was far too large and smelt distinctly like Taylor. I couldn't help but let the warm happiness flood through me as I slipped his shirt on; was it strange to feel safe simply by wearing a piece of clothing? That was how I felt though, safe that I was close to Taylor and his presence followed me everywhere.

Taylor wasn't alone when I left the bathroom; Alicia was back no doubt giving him an update of the colony. She looked just as worn as he did although I doubted it really bothered her. Alicia had to be one of the strongest women I'd ever met and not just because she could hold her own physically. She had told me with a proud grin that she was still the only one to this day that could put Taylor down in a fight and Taylor would agree not looking one bit put out that a woman could beat him.

It did leave me with a very good idea though.

"How are you feeling?" Alicia asked when she noticed me, moving past her Commander to give me a gentle hug.

It was something so unlike Alicia to do that I almost burst into tears again but I didn't. "I've been better." I bit my lip, wondering if this idea I had would be more suitable to ask after I'd had a few days to think about it. "I want you to help me with something though." ow did someone get past thatH

Both soldiers looked curiously at me, "With what?"

"You need to teach me how to defend myself."

I'd managed to effectively stun both of them at the same time. Now that I knew what the Sixers wanted me for, I refused to let myself fall into a situation like last night again. I never wanted to feel that useless and weak (unless I was drugged, of course) again, especially in my own home.

"You want me to _what?_" Alicia asked looking over at Taylor. "Are you sure there hasn't been any damage to her head?"

Despite the tense situation and the awkwardness that the two soldiers were exhibiting, it was such an Alicia thing to say that I laughed. "I want you to teach me how to defend myself." I said slowly.

"Why?" Taylor asked puzzled.

"You're kidding, right?" Alicia beat me to Taylor, looking at him incredulously. He just shrugged and we both knew what he wanted to say, "Clearly neither of us can be there to protect her all the time, Nathaniel."

I knew Alicia would understand where I was coming from. "So you'll teach me?"

She looked at me calculatingly and I knew she wanted to agree, "I'm a bitch."

"I didn't realise we were playing Captain Obvious." I quipped.

She smirked, her hands on her hips, "I'll be worse if I'm teaching you."

I shrugged but Taylor cut in, "No, she really will be worse."

"I don't care; I'm _not_ going to become some object that they can sell off just to make _babies_." I exclaimed.

Alicia gaped at me and turned to Taylor with an incredulous look, "Did you fail to mention something to me, sir?"

"I was getting to it." Taylor retorted. "Is that why you want to do this?" I nodded, "I'll teach you then."

"No."

Taylor looked at me confused and if I didn't know any better I'd say a little hurt as well, "Why?"

"You're a six foot something man." I pointed out, "Alicia may be taller than me but she's got the same build as I do and she'll be able to show me how to knock down a man that's bigger than me."

"Don't worry sir." Alicia added in wickedly, "When she's ready, I'll put her up against you to practice."

Taylor didn't look too eager for that but accepted my answer. "You're not doing this until you're well."

I considered arguing but when Alicia agreed with him I relented, "Fine." I grumbled, "Can we go home yet?" I asked a little desperate to get out of the hospital.

I was expecting the doctor to come back and discharge me but they'd obviously remembered my reaction from our previous interaction and had a nurse discharge me instead. It was more nerve-wracking than I'd considered going outside and into the open. Taylor stood on one side while Alicia was on the other; once again I was the main attraction, people passing by stared at me sympathetically and there were more than a few whispers as we walked past the market. A few of the mothers from the pool came up to me, some giving me gentle hugs and others giving me their support. I could only smile and give them a shaky 'thank you'; it was overwhelming, the support that one could receive from the people in Terra Nova.

"Sir!" A soldier shouted as we were about to walk past the Command centre and to Taylor's – _our_ – home. He didn't come too close and I was thankful for that. "Sixers are at the gates." He reported, his eyes flicking to me concerned before back to his Commander.

I froze and I immediately backed away from the gate. Taylor barked out some orders and before I could make sense of what was happening a soldier was leading me down to the brig and Taylor and Alicia had gone to take care of the situation. It took me a moment to realise that the soldier I was with was Mark and I felt a strange sense of relief at knowing it was him down here with me.

He must have heard about my panic around men so he took a step back cautiously, "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Don't call me ma'am." I said immediately, sitting down on a chair, "I'm fine, Mark, really. No crazy reactions to you."

He blinked, looking a little surprised, "Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly.

I nodded, "Don't ask me why but I'm fine."

"Well, I _was_ the one that found you."

"Technically _I_ found you." I retorted with a small smile.

I tried to relax, I really did but it was impossible. My body ached and so did my head; all I wanted to do was curl up in bed with a hot drink and then sleep. Lying in Taylor's –_ our – _bed right now would make the waiting all the more easier but I was glad I wasn't here by myself. Mark effectively kept me distracted by asking how the pool was doing even though he already knew; he always seemed to have the majority of his shifts down by the pool and I was beginning to wonder if perhaps some of the teachers had put in some sort of request to make sure he was there.

"So, got a girlfriend?" I drawled out, tapping my fingers on the table I was leaning against.

I knew the situation was tense and I should be beyond terrified but the blush that Mark had splashed over his cheeks had me doubled over with laughter. I'd never seen a man so embarrassed by a question and I couldn't wait for the day that he did actually get himself a girlfriend.

"I'll take that as a no?" I asked amused when he didn't answer my question.

He clenched his jaw but the blush was still on his cheeks, "Yes ma'am." He said stiffly.

"Don't call me ma'am." I retorted but I was still smiling.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Don't ask if I have a girlfriend then."

"Your blush answered my question at least." I pointed out triumphantly.

Mark muttered something under his breath and then turned his gaze back to the door. He didn't remove his eyes from the entrance and I began to wonder if his back would cramp from how straight he was currently standing.

"Do you soldiers _know_ how to relax?" I asked after a moment.

He didn't look away from the door to answer, "I'm on duty."

"So?"

"Staying focused is part of the job." He retorted.

"I'd make a terrible soldier then." I said lightly. "How long do you reckon we'll be down here for?"

But of course he didn't get a chance to answer. Someone gave three sharp raps to the door and Mark opened it, revealing Alicia. He stood to attention and nodded when she dismissed him; he stood to the side as we past and took up the rear as we went back up and outside.

"What happened?" I asked Taylor worriedly once he joined us.

He had been barking out orders to various soldiers, one hand holding a data pad that he tapped at impatiently while the other hung down his side. His soldiers obeyed each order instantly, none daring or caring to defy whatever instruction he had given them. It was kind of entrancing, seeing him in his element. Power rolled off of him in waves and despite the tension and seriousness of the situation I didn't doubt there was something else he'd rather be doing than defending the colony. When he'd seen us rising from the staircase he handed over control to his other Lieutenant but only after he had finished giving out the orders he wanted the soldiers to follow.

"We'll take in a minute." Taylor all but commanded it. I didn't argue, knowing that he was still in soldier mode after dealing with the Sixers.

The walk back to our home was a short one, Taylor's strides long and powerful while I used whatever energy I had left to keep up. Alicia, of course, had no problem keeping up with her Commander and when we did make it to the house I was short of breath. I wasn't too tired to not notice the bags that had been left in the living room and after a quick inspection I found that they were mine.

"I had a few of the soldiers back up your things and bring them over." Taylor said quietly, one hand resting lightly on my hip.

I smiled, turning in to his chest to hug him. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me securely; we stayed like that for a moment, both aware of Alicia fiddling around with something in the kitchen. I pulled away first, leaning up on my toes to give him a chaste kiss before trying to usher Alicia out of the kitchen, not that she let me. I was given a rather mean glare until I finally surrendered and sat at the bench.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" I asked once Alicia had slid a hot cup of tea over to me.

Instead of tea or coffee Alicia poured two glasses of brandy for the two of them. I considered having a glass but decided that alcohol wouldn't do much for me at this point.

"Mira demanded that she have her men returned to her." Taylor told me.

"She _what_?" I hissed, clenching my hands into fists.

Alicia grinned, "She looked a bit shocked when she found out you'd killed one and left the other in a coma."

"The bastards deserved it." Taylor muttered before I could.

"Wouldn't she have known what they were doing anyway?" I asked trying to figure out why she would be stupid enough to demand them returned to her.

Taylor sighed, "She didn't know that they had even been given orders to try and take you."

"Who gave the orders then?" I inquired with dread.

"Lucas is the only one that really has any need for you." Taylor retorted.

"Lucas – as in your brother?" They both nodded, "Why wouldn't he just give the orders to Mira?"

Alicia downed the rest of her glass while Taylor answered, "Lucas is in charge and according to her, crazy. Mira hadn't even known that he was trying to get someone from your time until he already had you here. That was the most she would say before they left."

My head was beginning to ache again, "Do you think they'll try again?"

"There's always a possibility." Taylor told me reluctantly. I knew he didn't want to worry me but I needed to be prepared, "But I think Mira's not stupid enough to let Lucas try again."

"What if he brings someone else from my time here?" I pondered out loud.

Alicia raised her brows, "We hadn't thought of that." She looked to Taylor, "You think he would?"

"There's no way he can know who he's bringing through the portal." Even Taylor didn't seem convinced by his own words though.

_Not that it would stop him_.

A/N thanks for all the reviews. I'm thinking that this story is coming to an end unless I do decide to bring another OC from 2010 in. I'll try and update before Christmas if not, hope everyone has a good Christmas!


	15. Chapter 15

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Fifteen

Things between Taylor and I changed noticeably.

It wasn't a _bad_ change, just one that was impossible not to notice. For one, he was gentler with me and there were more than a few times when I'd wanted to smack the man and tell him I wasn't made of glass. Despite being unable to fully dislike the tender side that my strange man was exhibiting it was definitely something that didn't particularly suit him. I'd fallen for the man who had no problems saying what was on his mind and very aware and proud of his physical dominance and charisma; I hadn't fallen for the man who hesitated in telling me his daily concerns and being OTG and distanced himself physical out of unnecessary worry. It was unsettling to see such a change in him and I wondered what the hell I could do show the Commander that the change wasn't necessary.

And there was only one person that would be able to help me with that.

I knew Alicia had noticed the changes in Taylor; she knew him far better than I did, knew his habits and movements in ways that I knew I never would. I needed to know if this behaviour _was_ different or if it was just the first time I was seeing the man act like this. The few weeks that had passed since I was attacked had been a challenge for all three of us. Alicia bore the brunt of our separate frustrations and played the part of confidant for us both through the past weeks. I knew that she got a level of amusement out of some of the things we bitched to her about – like Taylor's annoying habit to sleep on top of me and crush the life out of me and then practically throw himself out of bed when he realised – but I also knew she valued being the one we trusted enough to confide in. I certainly couldn't mention about half the things I told Alicia to anyone else.

"You need to help me." That was how I greeted Alicia when I finally tracked her down in the market.

She didn't look up from studying the vegetables in front of her – she'd known I was approaching her probably before I even spotted her, "I'm fairly certain no one can help you."

"Huh?"

She gave me an amused look, "You're a lost cause." She said with a grin, tapping a finger to her forehead with a smirk.

I glared, "Ha ha, you're becoming quite the comedian." I said sarcastically.

"It's from spending so much time around you." She retorted, making some purchases.

I followed her down the path that I knew would lead us to her small home. "No, seriously, you need to help me."

"With what?" She asked, adjusting her pace so I could keep up. It was well established between us that I dawdled.

"The insufferable man that has taken over Taylor." I told her, smacking her arm when she laughed, "It's not funny! The man has had a complete personality change ever since I was attacked."

"Has it occurred to you that he's just worried about you?" She asked still chuckling.

I looked at her incredulously, "He had reason to be worried the first week after it had happened; I might have been able to ignore it if it continued through to a second week but it's been _a month_ Alicia! He barely touches me and it's a good thing we weren't having sex before because there's no way in hell we'd be having it at the moment."

I always did love a good ramble.

"I really didn't need to know that." She winced.

"Don't be such a girl." I teased.

She unlocked the door to her house and pushed it open, "Don't you sass me or I'll let you deal with this on your own."

"You're not that much of a bitch." I retorted, taking a seat at her kitchen bench and watching as she went about preparing her dinner.

She gave me a wicked look, "You that certain?" I pouted and she grinned triumphantly, "So, you want help with what exactly?"

"To get Taylor acting like he used to before I was attacked." I sighed and banged my head on the bench, "I _knew_ it would be a mistake to call him by his name."

Alicia laughed loudly at that, "I still can't believe you're dating the man and have only called him by his first name once."

"That was my mistake." I said mournfully, "I said his name in a moment of weakness and now I'll never have sex."

Alicia stared at me for a moment before shaking her head and continuing her cooking, "He's being how he is because he blames himself."

That got my attention; I jerked my head up to look at my friend in shock, "He _what?_"

"He blames himself." Alicia repeated, "All he can think about is if he'd just stayed the night like you asked then maybe they wouldn't have attacked or he could have stopped them before they hurt you."

I groaned, "Why do men have to be so bloody overdramatic all the time?"

Alicia chuckled, "You need to talk to him about this." She said seriously, "In his mind, he doesn't think you've noticed and that you're still getting over what happened. You need to talk to him."

I sighed, "Wish me luck." I muttered and said goodbye.

As I walked back toward the front gate I mentally played out how the conversation could go. It sort of went something like this:

Me: Why the hell are you acting so weird?

Taylor: I don't know what you're talking about.

Me: You damn well know what I'm talking about.

Taylor: _sits and sharpens his bloody knives_.

Me: Do you ever want to have sex? _Taylor looks up_. Then get over it!

Okay, so _maybe_ the conversation won't go quite like that or at least I hope it won't. The man could definitely close up and stop speaking when he wanted to and damn if it wasn't annoying as all hell. Since Alicia was off-duty and at home I knew he'd be working until later but I couldn't hold off the conversation any longer. Ignoring the guards posted outside his office I all but barged in startling the head of science and the man in question.

"Is this meeting concerning the life or death of anyone in particular?" I asked mildly, my arms crossed.

Malcolm blinked, "No but..."

"Then get out." When he didn't move I narrowed my eyes, "Move your ass Malcolm before I kick it out."

I must have looked pretty darn scary because the man all but bolted out leaving me alone with Taylor. He was gaping at me and I didn't blame him; this was definitely the first time I'd barged in while he was working and definitely the first time I'd interrupted a meeting with one of the division heads. I could care less at the moment; no one was going to die from them not continuing but this whole situation between us was driving me all but insane and I was certain I was going to explode from not dealing with this problem of ours.

"Is everything alright?" Seriously, I'm really considering banging my head on a brick wall at the moment. Instead of being angry or even pissed, the bloody man is looking at me like someone's just tried to kill me.

I placed my hands on my hips and stared at him indignantly, "No, everything is not _bloody alright!_"

Taylor stared at me and slumped back in his seat when he seemed to realise I only wanted to talk, "Bree, what's your problem?"

Definitely not the right words to use right now. "It's not _me_ that's the problem." I told him, "It's _you_ and your weirdness."

"My...weirdness?" He looked extremely bewildered at this point.

"Yes, your weirdness." I began pacing, "Ever since I was attacked you have been _weird_ and not _you_. First you treat me like I'm about to break which – breaking news – _I'm not!_ Then you practically stop touching me and not wanting to discuss anything about your day or if you go outside the gates and get chased around by dinosaurs." My hands were waving around as I spoke, hoping they'll help get the point across. "And in case you haven't realised, I do actually want to have sex with you! Do you know how hard it is trying to seduce a man that's more concerned about having sex than you are? It's like rubbing up against a brick wall which, I imagine, would be completely awkward and slightly painful." When he didn't say anything I continued to ramble, "So you can see _my_ problem when the man _I'm in love with_ is completely oblivious to the fact that I want to sleep with him all because of something _that_ _happened a fucking month ago!_"

I was breathing heavily by the end of my speech and when I finally stopped pacing I looked over at Taylor; he was staring at me, mouth hanging open and completely in shock. I thought back to what I said and blushed; so I hadn't meant to say that I loved him. That's cool, I could deal with that.

I really couldn't or I might have if the man had been able to speak.

When he didn't say anything, just continued to stare at me, my mind immediately went to the worst case scenario and assumed he didn't think of having sex with me or was anywhere near falling in love with me. So I didn't give him the chance to say anything – if he wanted to say something, _anything_ – then he had ample time to do so. I turned on my heel and bolted from the room; I didn't go back to our home since I knew that would be the first place he looked. I considered going down to the pool but since there were soldiers patrolling down there it wouldn't be hard for Taylor to get my location. Alicia's was on top of his places to search but at least if I was there I would have someone to bitch to until he arrived.

I ignored the people staring at me as I walked back through the streets; I hadn't been _that_ loud, had I?

I rapped my fist against Alicia's door, my arms folded under my chest as I waited for her to answer. When she did she stared at me, "Are you _crying_?"

"_What_?" I brought a hand up and I felt the humiliating signs of tear tracks. At least now I knew why everyone had been staring at me.

"What the hell happened?" She opened the door and let me in.

I sat down on her couch, wiping my face with the sleeve of my jumper, "Well I went to speak to him."

"Wasn't he in a meeting with Malcolm?" The look on her face told me she didn't particularly care for the man or the possible interruption of their meeting.

I shrugged, "I kicked him out. The first thing he asks me is '_are you okay?'_" I lower my voice to make it sound like his, "So I kind of go off into this rant and you never should have let me go speak to him."

"What did you say?"

I groaned and buried my face in my hands, "The gist of it was I want to have sex with him; seducing him is like seducing a brick wall – painful and awkward – and I may have told him that I loved him." I admitted.

She was silent and then asked hesitantly, "What did he say?"

"Absolutely nothing." I told her miserably, "He had plenty of time but he just sat there and stared at me!"

"What did you do then?" She asked gently.

"I ran; I wasn't going to stand there and wait for him to try and give me some half assed excuse."

"He could just be in shock." Alicia said in his defence.

I snorted, "He had plenty of time to try and get _something_ out."

Alicia sighed and stood, "You definitely need alcohol."

* * *

That was pretty much how we spent the rest of the night; Alicia had some cheap ass liquor from the future and although it tasted like crap, it did the job and we were both trashed quickly. I may have been slightly worse off than Alicia but neither of us really took tabs on who drank what. I didn't even realise how late it was until someone knocked on the door, the sharp sounds making me giggle for some bizarre reason but since I was drunk, I figured it was okay to laugh. Alicia got up, stumbling slightly but took hold of her gun to answer the door. I was lying on her couch clutching the bottle in one hand; I'd given up trying to drink from a cup long ago.

"How much has she had to drink?"

I didn't want to hear that voice; I tipped the bottle up to my mouth and took several large mouthfuls before someone yanked it away. I tilted my head back, "Give it back!" I protested.

Taylor ignored me, grabbing the cap for the bottle and sealing it. There wasn't exactly much left and when he noticed the other empty bottle sitting on the side table he cursed. Alicia had returned to her seat and was looking far too relaxed and smug at the entire situation. I poked my tongue out at her and pushed myself to my feet. I shook off Taylor's hand when he went to steady me.

"Thanks for the booze." I called as I stumbled my way down the hall and to the front door.

She might have shouted something back but I couldn't tell you; I was already outside and making my way slowly down the stairs. I didn't normally drink so much but desperate times call for desperate measures. I heard Taylor's heavy steps following me and I knew he wanted to reach out and steady my stumbling body before I hurt myself.

"You're going to regret this tomorrow." He muttered.

I don't think he was expecting me to hear him but I did. I had some pretty decent insults ready to fire back but it was taking more effort than it should to walk in a straight line. It was fun trying and some of the soldiers on patrol were giving me their fair share of amusing and appreciative glances.

"I wonder how many of them would say they want to have sex with me." I said loudly and I was sure more than a few heard.

Taylor sighed frustrated and clenched his jaw, "It's late."

"So?" I replied snippily, "That's usually when people have sex."

"Brianna." Taylor groaned pleadingly.

I turned around to poke him as I spoke, "You do not get to groan my name since you apparently _don't want to have sex with me_!"

I heard a few choked laughs coming from the soldiers near the front gates. Taylor sighed again, louder this time and I declared myself victor. I don't know what I had necessarily won; it was just fun to declare it – in my head at least.

I somehow managed to make it home without knocking anyone over or landing on my ass. I flinched when Taylor turned the lights on in the house and I did my best to walk to the bedroom with my eyes half closed. I yanked my clothes off, feeling annoyingly warm, and slipped into bed naked; I wanted to stay awake long enough to tell Taylor he wasn't allowed in the bed but the alcohol overpowered me and I drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

I don't know what time I woke; I was just grateful that I didn't have work. The thought of teaching or being on deck while dozens of children squealed and splashed me was not my idea of a good day right now. My head was throbbing but not nearly as bad as I had anticipated when I started drinking the night before; it _was_ enough to make me want to crawl under the covers and stay there. I was still naked and since the other side of the bed was cold I had no choice but to assume Taylor had been elsewhere during the night. That thought alone made tears well up in my eyes and I yanked the doona over my head while a few trickled down my cheeks.

While the drinking took my mind off the disaster of a conversation I'd had with Taylor, I doubted I would forget it for a long time. There had been a total of two men that I'd wanted to have sex with – one of them I'd been in a long term relationship with I found him sleeping with someone else and Taylor was the other, except I'd only ever felt this strongly about anyone but Taylor. To think that he didn't feel the same was almost as bad as being attacked and almost kidnapped.

Sighing shakily I wiped the tears away and pulled the cover off and headed for the shower. The warm water helped and I stood under the spray for a few moments, letting the warm water relax my sore muscles.

I dressed in my sweat pants and a tank top once I had managed to pull myself away from the shower. The house was empty as far as I could tell and since Taylor was leading a mission OTG I knew I would be alone for several more hours. To think that you're alone and then walk into the kitchen to find someone already in there was a bit startling. Taylor was standing in the kitchen and actually cooking something; for the moment before he noticed me I watched him work, his attention solely on cutting up the vegetables precisely and dumping them in a pot.

"How's your head?" Taylor asked.

His voice was distantly polite but I couldn't bring myself to apologise for anything; I hadn't done anything wrong. "It's fine." I retorted, heading straight for the cupboard to pull out some bread I'd made.

"We need to talk." He said quietly.

I snorted, "_Now_ you want to talk? We had plenty of time to talk yesterday..."

"I was in a _meeting_." He interrupted.

"You were barely listening to Malcolm and we both know it." I snapped, slamming the bread onto the counter.

"Bree..."

"Don't Nathaniel." I snapped, "Don't give me that bloody pitying look..."

"Stop talking." He demanded, dropping the knife on the chopping board. He yanked the bread container out of my hands and turned me to face him, "I know I've been distant and I'm sorry you thought that barging in when I was _working_ was the only way to get me to listen to you."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Yeah, you sound real sorry." I said sarcastically.

"Dammit Bree, I've been spent the past bloody month trying to figure out how to _fucking_ propose to you without going to Wash for help! So yeah, I have been a bit distracted." He snapped.

He blinked and cursed under his breath; clearly that wasn't meant to have come out. In a move much like I had done yesterday he turned and stormed out of the house. I was left in silence and staring at the spot that he'd just been standing in, confusion and hope flowing through me.

_He wanted to propose_? I hadn't even considered that was what he'd been so worried about; the attack was the only likely scenario that I could come up with as the source for his weirdness. I looked back on the different times that he'd been so weird around me and I couldn't, for the life of me, pick out any sort of sign that that was on his mind.

I groaned and flopped down on to a seat, no longer interested in eating. My stomach was lurched and I found myself launching toward the toilet to throw up the little food that I had in my stomach. I hadn't eaten since before I had my one-sided conversation with Taylor the day before. It hadn't been particularly smart to drink as much as I had but I didn't really care. With a groan I went back to bed, determined to sleep off as much of the hang over as I could before Taylor returned and whatever conversation I was sure would come with him.

A/N hope you all enjoy. i don't think i'll get around to updating again before Christmas! Let me know what you think.


	16. Chapter 16

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

There may be a reference to Grey's Anatomy in this chapter as well...if you can pick it.

Chapter Sixteen

I woke to covers being yanked off of me; I shivered as the cool air hit me and I pealed my eyes open to find Taylor rummaging through my draws and throwing pieces of clothes at me. I sat up and noticed that he'd pulled out a comfy pair of pants and a top before I finally looked up at him confused. I had no idea what was going on and I was under the impression that we weren't talking.

"Get dressed." He barked, turning around and walking out the door.

I blinked and stared at the door he'd just left; do men in the future develop periods?

I did as he said though, curious as to what had him in the kitchen again; I found him pulling out water canteens and placing them in a black back pack that he usually took with him OTG. For a moment I wondered why he was preparing to go outside when it was dark until I noticed the rays of light peaking in through the windows.

"What's going on?" I asked a little nervously and still half asleep.

He looked up as he swung the back pack over his shoulder, "Let's go."

"Go where?" I asked bewildered.

He studied me for a moment before nodding his head toward the door. "You can go on your own two feet or over my shoulder."

I was out the door before he could carry out his threat. Neither of us mentioned our on-going fight; I wanted to know where he was so determined to get to. I had been under the false pre-tense that wherever it was would be inside the gates but as Taylor barked out orders for the gates to be pulled up and moved over to a waiting rover I froze.

"Get in." Taylor said, holding the door open for me.

I stared at him incredulously, "I'm not going out there."

Taylor smiled arrogantly, "I can still toss you in." He actually looked a little eager to carry out his threat.

I considered my chances of getting away before he could carry out his threat but the look in his eye told me he was waiting for me to bolt. I sighed and got in shifting in the strange seat of a vehicle I'd never been in before. I studied Taylor as he gave a few orders to some of the nearby soldiers and I noticed Alicia was one of them. I didn't want to know what Taylor would need the large gun that Alicia handed him for; I knew he was already carrying at least three other weapons on him – the gun strapped to his thigh, one knife by his boot and the other at his waist. I considered my chances of sneaking out of the rover and getting back to the house before he noticed and even in my desperation I knew that there would be no hope in hell of that ever happening.

Going OTG for the first time was nerve-wracking to be honest; I'd heard my share of horror stories throughout the colony about soldiers that had come back after being out in the jungle. It didn't particularly make one want to go out there even if it was with Taylor. My hands clenched the side of the rover anxiously as Taylor pushed down on the accelerator and we zoomed under the gate and headed straight towards the pre-historic jungle.

As Taylor drove I began to wonder if this was some sort of revenge he'd concocted for the arguments we'd been having. As we twisted in between trees I felt nauseated by the high speed we were travelling at but I didn't say anything. If Taylor noticed he didn't comment or slow; there was a calm determination about him that made me a little weary and he kept his gaze on the invisible path in front of him.

I peered out the window, taking a few moments to try and appreciate the lush scenery that we were passing but gave up in the end. I'd had no choice but to clamp my eyes shut as the green blobs of the greenery made my nausea worse. When we stopped I didn't try to hide my relief; we'd been driving straight for twenty minutes. While he got out I took several deep breaths to try and get some much needed air back into my lungs and stop the pounding in my head. The man had a talent for a lot of things but driving was not one of them. Now I understood the sympathetic looks several soldiers had given me when I'd gotten into the rover.

After a few moments I managed to pull myself out of the vehicle, my legs shaking slightly. My hand rested on top of the rover until I was sure my legs wouldn't cave and I looked over at Taylor and suddenly found myself all the more weary.

He was holding a long black cloth in his hand. This was really not my week.

I eyed it as he moved closer smirking lazily at me, "Turn around."

"No way in hell." I put my foot down at being blindfolded in a forest full of dinosaurs.

He smirk widened into a grin and he still moved closer. I backed away but bumped into the rover after taking only two steps. When he was in front of me the bastard was still grinning and lifted his hand up to do a twirling motion at me.

"You are not blindfolding me!" I insisted, pressing right back against the rover.

Taylor smirked and as I opened my mouth to continue protesting, he leaned in and kissed me. I tried to push him off but I just about melted into the kiss after resisting for only a few seconds; it was the first physical contact I'd had with him in almost a month. My feet moved me closer and my hands rested against his shoulders as I leaned up into him. An arm wrapped around me, pinning me to him while the other cradled my head gently. When he pulled away I let out a noise of protest which quickly turned to anger; he'd used his annoyingly sneaky ninja skills to place the black cloth over my eyes while I basked in the physical contact with him, the kiss allowing him to get close enough without me doing anything about it. Now I couldn't see a damn thing and when I went to rip the thing off Taylor locked an arm around my waist, pinning my arms by my side uselessly.

"It stays on." The bastard was definitely enjoying himself.

"In case you don't realise, I need to be able to see where I'm going!" I retorted, struggling against his grip.

I didn't need to see him to know he was smirking victoriously, "Only one of us needs to see where we're going." He leaned down so his mouth was beside my ear, "Haven't you ever heard of a surprise?"

"Surprises don't need to include being blindfolded in a jungle that is full of pre-historic creatures!"

"This one does." He said cheerfully, taking my hand and giving it a gentle tug.

I let out a small squeak, stumbling after him until he slowed his pace so I could walk through the thick shrubbery without tripping and breaking my neck. My hands were clamped down on Taylor's guiding hand, having no choice but to rely on him not to get me killed. It wasn't that I didn't trust him to take care of me; it was more the fact that should we become targets for some large man-eating dinosaur I would actually like to see where it was coming from.

"Is there a reason why you decided to kidnap me?" I asked as we continued to walk. Since I had no idea where we were going I decided it would be a good time to get some answers from the man.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." He replied conversationally.

I snorted, "And now?"

"Now it's an amazing idea." He retorted smugly.

I yelped as he shook off my vice-like grip and planted both of his hands on my waist. I set my hands on his firm shoulders as he lifted and dropped me back onto the ground. I was beginning to hear the sound of flowing water; curious, I cocked my head to the side and strained to figure out if that was what I was hearing.

"What is that?" I asked more to myself than Taylor since I knew he wouldn't respond.

And he didn't, simply pressed his chest up against my back and nudged me forward gently as a response. He stayed behind me, obviously to ensure that I didn't try and take the blindfold off too early and spoil his surprise. The sound of water became noticeably louder with every step we took and by the time Taylor halted our movements I could feel the odd spray of water coming from somewhere.

He didn't give any warning before slipping the blindfold off; I blinked to adjust to the sudden assault of light. When my eyes recovered I stared in awe at the sight in front of me; I'd been to many beautiful places when I was younger but there nothing came remotely close to the sight that was in front of me. We were standing at the bottom of a waterfall, a large cliff looming all around us with lush green trees and ferns; an array of bright flowers were scattered amongst the vegetation. At the bottom of the waterfall was a clear pond, lily pads floating lazily on top of the water only disturbed by the odd wave caused by the splashing water from the fall. I could see small fish swimming amongst the rocks on the bed of the pool, their vibrant colours and unique appearances making them stand out easily.

I placed my hands on top of Taylor's when he wrapped his arms around my waist. His chest was against my back and we stayed there for a few moments, enjoying the scenery and each other's presence.

"So, like my surprise now?" Taylor asked innocently.

I turned in his arms and shook my head at him, "You just like being told that you're right don't you?"

He grinned, kissing me, "I'm glad we understand each other."

I rolled my eyes and pushed away from him, "Has anyone ever told you how much of an ego you have?"

"Wash does every day." He laughed, following me across the rocks that jutted out of the water.

"Good." I muttered but the swat to my ass told me he heard loud and clear.

We found a spot on the rocks to set up the little picnic that Taylor had organised, the rays from the sun peeking through the trees having warmed the rock for us and it was close to the water to dip our feet in. He had even remembered (or got given) a blanket for us to sit on and I ended up lying on my back to stare up at the long branches blocking the majority of the warm sun from us. He refused to let me help with anything and there were a few times I wanted to help when his muttered cursing began to worry me.

He wouldn't let me, clearly; the man was too stubborn for his own good. I couldn't help but wonder sometimes how he survived out here for so long without anyone to help him. I suppose that was a different situation – he'd had no choice but to depend on himself to get by at least until more people arrived.

"Are you hungry?" He asked sounding extremely pleased with himself.

I considered saying no just to see what would happen but I didn't; he'd put a lot of effort into making today perfect and I knew he had plenty to do around the colony.

"Sure." I sat up and crossed my legs, watching as Taylor pulled out some already made sandwiches, fruit and two muffins that I recognised as Alicia's homemade muffins she rarely cooked. "How did you convince Alicia to make these?" I grinned, taking the one he offered me.

He snorted, "It wasn't that hard, just threatened to put her in charge of training all the new recruits that come through the portal for the next two years."

I choked on the piece I was chewing, "That's so mean!"

"It worked, didn't it?" He grinned.

"What did she get for making them?" I asked.

"She gets the task of running the place until we get back."

I snickered; Alicia hated taking care of the colony while he was away, mostly because we both knew that whenever he was OTG he would come back with some form of deep laceration that she would need to stitch up. Even though there were damn good doctors in the infirmary, Taylor would always insist on Alicia being the one to stitch him up.

"I bet she's spending the whole day planning revenge." I mused looking forward to whatever she would come up with.

He grimaced, "I'm sure she has one or two ideas by now."

"More like ten."

We sat in silence for a few moments, finishing the rest of our muffins and the fruit before putting aside the sandwiches. I figured that since we'd come all the way out here we were going to stay for longer than an hour and we'd need the sandwiches for later on. I was beginning to get overly curious as to why Taylor had decided to spring today on me; the man didn't do anything without thinking it through thoroughly before hand. I doubted he'd had that much time since yesterday to think about and organise what he wanted to do. I suppose that's one of the perks of being the Commander then, being able to get things when you want them.

"Do I get to know the reason for you kidnapping me?" I asked lightly, not wanting to seem _too _curious. That could just end up with Taylor avoiding the issue just to tease me for the whole day.

If I hadn't been around him for as long as I had I doubt I would have been able to notice him tense at the question. I kept my eyes down at the fruit still in my hand as I asked but I didn't need to be looking at him to know he tensed. I peeked over, frowning slightly at his clenched jaw and fisted hands.

"Our times are very different." He said randomly, his voice holding an odd lilt that I couldn't quite name.

I frowned again, "Okay?"

He sighed frustrated, "In my time, if a man wanted to marry a woman we generally didn't date for very long, a few months or sometimes a year; since we were only allowed to have two children – no more –most people married early and spread out the time between their children. For many, marriage wasn't about love but convenience." He paused, still refusing eye contact, "I know it's different in your time."

I nodded, "Well, yes we never had a restriction on how many children you were allowed to have. A lot of people in my time still married for convenience or if one was rich." I hesitated before adding, "Most people don't get married quite so soon after being together – there are some but it's not something everyone does." He was still looking around the area, anywhere but at me, "Nathaniel, I could care less about the differences between the times we're from."

He looked at me and now I could see the nervousness and worry, "I'm not an easy man to be with." He said quietly.

I shrugged, "I knew that when I met you. Besides, I'm the one that has a group of people trying to kidnap me." I pointed out.

He barked out a humourless laugh, "And they almost got away with it because I couldn't protect you."

"Don't do that." I said firmly, "Don't you go around thinking that I only want to be with someone that can protect me. I'm not with you because you know how to fire a gun and punch people; I'm with you because I love you."

He looked at me, searched my eyes for something and then he smiled, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He didn't need to say anything else; I smiled and kissed him and felt relieved that things were now resolved. He broke the kiss and locked his eyes with mine as he slid a ring on to my finger; I didn't care what it looked like – it was the man I was marrying, not the ring.

We settled back onto the blanket; I was curled on my side with my head resting on Taylor's chest, one arm draped across his stomach. One of his arms was curled around me and I sighed, content, as his fingers played with my hair. This was the first time we'd been completely alone; no soldiers, no interruptions and no Sixers.

I froze, "Taylor..."

"You are eventually going to have to start using my name." He interrupted teasingly.

I poked him in the stomach, "You're not funny." When he simply smiled down at me I continued, "Aren't you worried about Sixers being around?"

"Don't worry; these parts are too close to outposts for Sixers to go near us." He said reassuringly.

"So how did you come up with the idea to bring me out here?" I asked curiously but I had a sneaking suspicion.

Taylor sighed, "Wash helped." He admitted grudgingly.

I looked up and kissed him, "You should be glad; the woman has good taste." I said amused.

"I picked the spot!" He said defensively.

I laughed, "Yes dear." I was extremely relieved we were no longer fighting. "This still doesn't fix the fact we haven't had sex yet."

"That's because we're waiting."

Now I sat up, to stare down at him incredulously, "We're _what_?"

"We're waiting." He crossed his arms under his head and had the audacity to look amused, "Until we're married." He added when I continued to stare at him.

"_When_ did I agree to this?"

"We both know you won't." He retorted, not seeming in the least bit bothered by that.

I blinked, "Have I woken in some parallel universe where it's the _man_ that wants to wait for sex?"

"You want to have sex for the first time out here?" He asked sceptically.

"I didn't say we had to do it here! We could just do it when we get home." I said exasperated.

"_Or_ we could just wait."

"Do you _want_ me to explode from sexual frustration?"

"Do you _want_ our first night as a married couple to be special?"

"It can still be special if we've had sex before it!"

"We're waiting!"

"How long are you planning on us being engaged for?" I asked after a moment, changing tactics.

He shrugged, "A month? It depends on how long it takes for us to get things organised for the wedding."

"Since you're insisting on no sex," I said sweetly, "Then there's not going to be any kissing or touching or even sleeping in the same bed."

He looked at me blankly, "You wouldn't last."

I grinned wickedly, "I wouldn't count on that."

"So if we're not sharing a bed, then who sleeps where?" He asked challengingly.

"I'll stay at Alicia's."

He hadn't expected that, "What if she says no?"

"She'll say yes."

"She's more worried about what I can do to her."

"She's my best friend so she's going to my maid of honour; I'll make her wear something horribly frilly and pink at the wedding in front of _everyone_."

"You wouldn't..."

"Try me."

"So you'll stay at Alicia's." He gave in grudgingly, "So you're not going to touch or kiss me until the wedding." I didn't like the look in his eye when I nodded, "I'll make you a deal then; if I can't go to until the wedding without kissing or touching you, we'll have sex before we're married."

I nodded, "And if _I_ can't make it until the wedding?"

"Then I can kiss and touch you as much as I want – no sex – and you have to come home."

"Deal." I agreed, kissing him one last time, "Starting when we get back to the colony."

"Good idea."

A/N so I got in another chapter before Christmas! I hope you like the chapter and let me know what you think. Hope everyone has a good and safe Christmas!


	17. Chapter 17

I own nothing apart from bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Seventeen

We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around by the fall just enjoying the moment. Taylor had spent the past month working more than usual so when he fell into a light sleep on the blanket after we'd eaten I didn't disturb him, simply laid down next to him. I knew he'd been working more due to the random attacks from the Sixers and to fix the worrying issue of them being able to get inside the colony undetected as they had.

We hadn't wanted to leave but as the bits of the sky we could see began to change from a bright blue to a mix of yellow and orange we knew it was time to go. We made our way back to the rover joking quietly with each other and somehow the sneaky man had managed to convince me that it wasn't necessary to stay at Alicia's.

"That wasn't the deal." I argued with a laugh as we walked through the thick forest, his hand wrapped around mine securely.

Taylor squeezed my hand playfully, looking over his shoulder with a grin, "Scared you won't be able to resist?"

"You're full of it, you know that right?" I rolled my eyes, "And I'm just thinking of you here; you'd lose by morning and we both know it."

Taylor had an annoying habit of rolling on top of me during the night and I would more often than not wake to find his head using my chest as a pillow. The times that he wasn't on top of me, he had his arm wrapped tightly around my waist keeping me pinned to him. There were more than a few times that I wished he would shave, especially when I woke to his beard tickling my chest.

"Then we'll update the bet."

I snorted, "To make it easier for you?" I asked teasingly.

He ignored my playful words, swatting my ass, "No kissing or touching during the day and once we're in bed only touching is allowed."

"This only seems to benefit you." I pointed out dryly.

He grinned, "Exactly."

We had made it back to the rover by this point and he held open my door, leaning on the frame as I got in. I laughingly agreed to the new bet – it was the only way I would get him back into the rover so we could head back into the colony. While he walked around to the driver side of the rover I glanced down at the ring now on my finger; it was, to me, the perfect ring. It wasn't too flashy, something I had never found appealing; it was silver with a small sapphire diamond with two clear diamonds on each side of it. I had no idea where the diamonds had come from and I didn't particularly care.

"You finally looked at it." Taylor commented amused.

I blushed and shrugged, "I figured I should know what my engagement ring looked like before we got back to the colony."

He grinned at my words, "We're engaged." He explained at my questioning look.

"It's taken this long for my answer to sink in?" I asked amused.

He fired up the rover and I was more prepared this time for his crazy driving. "You know, now we have to pick a date." He said completely ignoring my teasing question.

"It's going to end up some ridiculously big event, isn't it?" I wrinkled my nose, not excited by that thought.

I clutched the handle of the door as Taylor all but sent the rover flying through the air. "Don't all girls want big weddings?"

"I'm fairly certain I'll be dead before there's even a chance to discuss having a wedding." I ground out, my knuckles going white as I curled my hands into fists.

Taylor laughed and continued to drive like a lunatic, "You'll be fine." Easy for him to say while he yanked the wheel back and forth to swerve between trees like they were only rubber cones, "Most of the colony will want to be involved in the wedding, I imagine." Taylor said conversationally.

I groaned and clamped my eyes shut, "Stop talking."

He chuckled, "Yes dear."He continued to drive, silently but I knew he was glancing over at me every now and then amused. "We're out of the forest now." He told me after twenty minutes or so.

I opened my eyes hesitantly, relieved to see the lights of the colony not far ahead, "Oh thank goodness."

"My driving isn't that bad." Taylor insisted with a sly smirk.

I shot him a dirty look, "Don't even get me started."

I launched myself out of the rover before Taylor had even stopped the vehicle completely. The soldier I almost barrelled into looked alarmed by my unexpected exit but a few others snickered. They clearly had been in a rover with my future husband and knew what a horrible experience it was.

I glared over at him, pointing a finger at him sternly, "You are _never_ allowed to drive me _anywhere_ _again_."

"It's not that bad." Taylor rolled his eyes.

I placed my hands on my hips, "If they weren't on duty and you weren't their Commanding officer, I bet they would agree with me." I told him pointing to the soldiers around me.

He narrowed his eyes at me and looked like he wanted to ask some of them if it were true. Instead he turned his head to nod at Alicia, "My driving not that bad, is it Wash?" He asked.

She gave him a look, "Do you _really_ want me to answer that, sir?"

He actually pouted at her, "I don't think I should leave you in charge anymore."

"How horrible, my life is now over." Alicia deadpanned, not looking bothered by that at all. She ignored the snickers from the soldiers around her and turned to me. "I suppose I should have told you this before but don't let him drive."

I narrowed my eyes, "I already figured that out, thanks." Note the sarcasm.

She smiled and none too subtly her eyes shifted down to my left hand. Her smile widened and, surprising the soldiers around her, leaned in and gave me a hug, "Congratulations." She said warmly.

I laughed and hugged her back, "As if you didn't know what was happening."

She shrugged when she pulled back, "I knew what he was planning but you've been pretty pissed with him lately; I thought for sure you'd make him sweat a little longer."

"I _can_ hear you." Taylor said exasperatedly.

Wash smirked quite insubordinately at him, "Sorry Nathaniel; I got off duty the moment you drove back in the gates and if I remember correctly – and I _do_ –I get the next two days off."

I laughed, "So _that's_ how he got you to run the place while we were gone."

She grinned, "It was the only way I was going to agree to anything."

Taylor muttered something about not a good idea to mix disobedient lieutenants and sarcastic fiancées before getting a sly smirk on his face that was extremely unsettling. He glanced around and I did too, noticing how his smirk sharpened mischievously at the crowd that had appeared once we had returned. I could see all the teachers from the pool plus the majority of the colony's gossipers all watching us carefully. I became slightly suspicious when I noticed that a great deal of the colony was surrounding us and I knew what Taylor had planned.

"Thank you everyone for coming." Taylor began, grinning at the horrified look I was giving him, "I wanted everyone to hear from Brianna and I personally that the colony can expect our wedding, hopefully in the next few months."

The crowd around us erupted into a mix of cheers and squeals and I cringed, shrinking next to Alicia. I gave Taylor a nasty look and began thinking of all the ways I could get back at him; I could always get drunk again but I don't think it would have quite the same effect as the other night. I'm sure Alicia had plenty of good ideas rolling in her head, especially after the next part of Taylor's announcement.

"We all celebrate weddings together, here in Terra Nova which is why we would both appreciate your input for our day. If you think of any ideas that you would like us to consider, Brianna or Lieutenant Washington would be _more_ than happy to listen." Taylor added and now Alicia was glaring next to me.

The crowd cheered again and when it was clear that Taylor was finished, the women separated off amongst each other and I groaned when it was clear the women were thinking of ideas with each other. The few brave ones that clearly didn't notice the death glare I was sending my fiancé came up to congratulate, obviously unaware that my stiff thank youse wasn't embarrassment but bubbling fury mixed with the desire to begin plotting with the equally annoyed woman beside me.

Taylor wouldn't know what hit him.

* * *

By the time we managed to get away from the well wishers Alicia and I were just about ready to throttle Taylor. While he had gotten himself out of hearing the multiple ideas for themes and dates, Alicia and I had been bombarded with some of the most ridiculous ideas we've ever heard. One of them included a dinosaur themed wedding; it took all my strength not to bash my head against a brick wall.

Alicia and I were fuming as we all walked back to our home, Taylor none the wiser and looking mighty pleased with himself. We had shared several pointed glances with each other and somewhere along the line Alicia and I had gotten to the point in our friendship where glances could easily be read.

The moment we walked through the door and out of the scrutiny of the colony we attacked. Alicia all but tackled Taylor while I grabbed the cuffs from the kitchen bench (don't ask me why they were there) and quickly secured both of his wrists to the bar underneath the bench. The attack was definitely unexpected although for the life of me I couldn't figure out why he thought we'd be particularly happy with him. Alicia's tackle and the surprise of the attack was the only reason we were able to pull off cuffing him and I'd been a little too amused when I heard the whoosh of air leaving his lungs from the tackle.

"What the hell?" He spluttered, looking from Alicia and then back to me. "Explain." He demanded with narrowed eyes.

I glared right back, mimicking Alicia's pose with my hands on my hips, "Right now, you are _not_ Commander Taylor."

"You're simply the man who was stupid enough to mess with the both of us." Alicia added.

He adjusted so he was sitting on a chair and looked at us wearily, "What exactly have I done?"

"As if you don't know!" I barked.

Alicia snorted, "The sad thing is, he probably doesn't."

"He probably _has_ taken one too many hits to the head." I agreed reluctantly. "Too bad that's not going to get him out of trouble this time."

"You went too far this time Nathaniel." Alicia tsked, shaking her head bemused.

"What the hell are you two on about?" He asked, gaping at us. "Did you two start drinking on the way back here?"

"No but drinking is a _very_ good idea right now." I said slipping off into the bedroom where I'd hidden the alcohol that Alicia had secretly left me.

I poured us a glass while Alicia bickered with Taylor.

"I'm your Commanding Officer." He growled, tugging his cuffed wrist.

She shrugged, "You should have thought of that before you signed me up for wedding themes and ideas."

"I thought women liked that shit!"

"_Do I look like the type of women that would like that shit_?" She snarled yanking the glass I offered here and downed it in one gulp.

"And for that matter, do I?" I coughed out, the strong liquor burning my throat slightly.

"You said you wanted to get married." Taylor pointed out. I wondered if he was considering trying to rip out his hair from frustration.

I looked at him incredulously, "Yeah, because I'm interested in the _marriage_ part not discussing _ideas_ let alone having a wedding that involves more than three other people."

"You were _serious_ about not having a big wedding?" Taylor asked stunned.

I groaned and poured another bottle, "I should have said it as an order; maybe he would have understood then." I muttered to myself.

Taylor ignored that and tried again, "Regardless we have to have a big wedding here anyway."

"Why, because you're the Commander?" I asked sarcastically.

Alicia grumbled, "No because _all_ weddings here are big and compulsory for pretty much everyone unless you're dying."

"Still, that doesn't mean _we_ have to be the ones to plan it all." I looked at him with raised brows and I may have been swaying slightly, "What the hell is wrong with your ability to plan things?"

He didn't comment and I suppose that was a good thing; he only would have gotten himself in more trouble. Alicia and I continued to drink and bitch about him and men in generally and soon we completely forgot he was even there. We were sitting on the floor, our backs pressed up against the sofas and we had ditched the glasses and we were drinking straight from the bottle.

"Do you know he's making me wait for sex?" I blurted out and for a moment I wondered what the pained groan was and the slight thump before I forgot about it.

Alicia snickered, taking a gulp before replying, "What are you waiting for?"

"Until we're married." I grumbled, swiping the bottle off her. "So we made a bet."

She perked up, "Whad is it?" She slurred.

I giggled, "No sex, kissing or touching until the wedding. We had to change it cause he'd lose so quickly." I told her, drawing out the 'so'. "Touching is allowed only when we're in bed but no kissing."

"That's a stupid bet." She said after a moment.

"Well, if I can get him to kiss or touch me then he _has_ to give me sex before we're married." I said.

She snickered, "Go and strip for him; I'm sure that'll do it."

We both looked over...and he wasn't there. It took us a few moments to realise that our prisoner was no longer a prisoner. Alicia, who, even when drunk, had better reflexes and instincts than I did, quickly scanned the room. I did too, a little slower than her and we both came to the conclusion that he was gone. The apartment was silent but that didn't mean anything; the man was a ninja.

"Are you two done bitching about me?" Taylor's voice rang out.

I jumped but Alicia didn't look fazed. I followed her gaze over to our bedroom door where Taylor was standing with a look between amused and exasperated. His arms were crossed over his chest and even in my drunken stupor I appreciated the bulging muscles in his arms and wondered if it was worth loosing the bet before it had really started.

"Maybe." I drawled, stumbling until I was upright. I dropped back down onto the couch when I realised I wouldn't be able to go anywhere with half the grace I usually had.

He sighed as he watched me lie down, "You're a terrible drunk."

"Love you too." I slurred, grinning drunkenly at him. It was kind of fun getting drunk with Alicia.

Taylor sighed, sounding a little too much like a parent. He walked over to me and lifted me up easily, carrying me into the bedroom.

"Does this count as touching?" I mumbled when he put me in bed.

"Nope." He murmured, kissing my forehead gently.

He disappeared and that was all it took for me to fall asleep.

* * *

When I woke my head was strangely fine; there was no pounding or dull throbs that made me want to hide under the covers all day. The smell of food caught my attention and instead of feeling repulsed, I got up feeling unusually hungry. I blinked at the sight of Taylor in the kitchen; it wasn't a normal sight but definitely a good one. He was in his uniform; cargo pants and boots and black shirt, weapons already holstered and waiting to be used. He was flipping eggs on a frying pan and I perked up at the sight of bacon already cooked on some toast.

A groan caught my attention and I looked over to the couch to find Alicia lying on it; she had an arm tossed across her face and her blanket tangled around her feet. She was definitely worse off than I was and it was slightly amusing to realise that I could hold my liquor better than she could.

"Turn the lights off." She groaned, one hand reaching down to yank the blankets over her head.

Taylor snorted, "Sorry I don't have a switch for the sun Wash; get your ass up."

"Well _get one!_" She snapped, throwing the blankets off and sitting up.

Taylor pointedly ignored her comment, keeping his eyes on the food cooking in front of him. I plonked down on the seat we had previously handcuffed Taylor too and knew straight away how he had escaped; sitting innocently next to the cuff was a paper clip that had been holding together the files for the next pilgrimage that had been delayed for another few months. Taylor had told me they were having trouble trying to convince a Doctor to join us because her husband was in jail. I'd wondered for a few moments what her husband had done to land himself in jail before dismissing it; if she came I could just ask her except now I knew that she was coming and with two teenagers as well.

"How's your head?" Taylor asked without turning around.

"It's fine actually." I grinned when he looked over his shoulder at me, "No headache."

He didn't actually look happy about that, "Here I was hoping you'd have a hangover like Wash; maybe then you wouldn't be tempted to drink again."

"Nope, sorry; drinking is still a fun idea."

He muttered something under his breath as he dumped the eggs on top of the bacon and handed me a plate. I smiled in thanks and ate it happily, glancing over at the seat next to me when Alicia finally managed to get herself to the bench. It was definitely a good thing that she was off work for the next day; she would really need time to work off the major hangover she now had.

"You're a bad influence." She groaned and all but snatched the coffee that Taylor offered.

I snickered, "I'm pretty sure you started it; I barely drank in 2010."

She grunted and sighed happily when she began sipping at the coffee in her hands. Taylor shook his head bemused and ate his breakfast quickly after glancing down at his watch. He would be at work precisely on time as he always was but I knew he was slightly OCD about being on time.

"So, when shall we get married?" Taylor asked me.

I shrugged, "A month?"

"Next month sounds good." He said dumping his dishes in the sink. He came around the counter to give me a chaste kiss on the cheek, "Have fun planning." The bastard gave me a smirk and ran out the door before I could answer.

"Can I deck him?" I asked Alicia when the house was quiet.

She snorted into her coffee, "If you can convince him to stand in front of a stool and not move while you stand on it."

"I'm not that short!" I said indignantly.

"Standing next to him you are." She laughed and then winced at the volume of her voice. "Quiet time." She demanded.

I considered ignoring this and making unnecessary noise before deciding against it; I knew I'd need her help planning this wedding especially if it was going to happen next month.

The next month was going to be hell.

A/N hope everyone had a great Christmas! Enjoy the chapter and I'll try and have the next up in a few days.


	18. Chapter 18

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Eighteen

_**Week 1: The Meddling Bitch**_

While we agreed on a date Taylor really did have no choice but to leave the majority of the planning to me; he became increasingly worried with every passing minute that the Sixers would find out about the wedding and try to get in to the colony. He was working extra hours to ensure that the colony would be safe on our big day, organising the patrol schedules so that all soldiers at some point got to have a chance to enjoy the celebrations with everyone else.

Alicia helped as much as she could but even she was overly busy helping Taylor by overseeing the training of the soldiers as well as running her fair share of routine checks out to some of the outposts. By the time it was dark she was exhausted and sometimes covered in bruises when some of her expeditions OTG had gotten difficult with dinosaurs trying to eat them.

It had only been one week since Taylor had announced the date of our wedding and with both my future husband and maid of honour out of commission I was left dealing with the hordes of eager women that had been waiting for Taylor to get married. I'd had to politely turn down my fair share of ideas that bordered on ridiculous and did my best to shake off the older women who were all eager to design my wedding dress.

"Brianna Lee, you're just the person I was looking for!"

I cringed at the shrill voice of Vivienne; I'd been told by several of the swim teachers that she'd had her eyes set on Taylor ever since she arrived in Terra Nova. Apparently she had been extremely displeased by our announcement and Nina had warned me that she was eager to whatever she could to put me off marrying Taylor. Ever since those warnings I'd been waiting for the woman to approach me, and she did so right outside Command central in front of several soldiers.

I pulled a face before turning and smiling tightly at her, "Vivienne, hi."

It was the best I could especially with the woman giving me a fake smile in return, "Don't you look exhausted. I'm not surprised; you don't seem all that excited for this wedding."

I stared at her, no longer smiling or even remotely amused by her attempts to put me down, "Is there something you wanted?" I'd perfected the blank stare from Alicia.

"Well, I was just hoping you'd let me take over the planning." She flicked her red hair back dramatically, knowing she had a bunch of soldiers watching our exchange, "I just have a way with planning events; I plan every festival this colony has." She said smugly. "It's something that a lot of people expect the Commander's future wife to be able to do."

"Don't worry Vivienne, there's _absolutely _nothing for you to do." I said sounding a little too happy about it. "I have more than enough _friends_ helping me out."

She clenched her jaw and grabbed my arm before I could turn away and head home, "See, I've already told some of the women that are doing the catering the theme that I want..."

"That _you_ want?" I said, my eyes narrowing, "Listen up carefully Vivienne; I went to high school with a whole lot of bitches that you come nowhere close to rivalling. If you think you're intimidating, think again. If you so much as try and interfere in _my_ wedding I may very well insist you not going at all."

She gaped at me, clearly shocked. I wasn't a very outspoken person outside my conversations with Taylor and Alicia. I knew she was expecting some submissive response and get her way but there was no way in hell I was going to let the tramp spoil my wedding. I didn't particularly want to plan such a huge event but I couldn't help but enjoy talking with the people I'd become good friends with who were so excited about celebrating such a day with me. It was my day and no bloody person was going to mess with it.

She set her jaw and took a step closer, "I'm sure Commander Taylor would appreciate my help." She grinned wickedly, "He has on several occasions. Are you sure you're taking care of him? He looks like he could use my...help since you clearly can't provide."

I clenched my fist more than ready to punch the bitch; several of the soldiers heard her and some even snickered. Before I had a chance to even raise my hand I felt someone next to me and I knew it was Alicia; Taylor was OTG at the moment, helping some of the scientists with problems at an outpost.

At so much as a glance from Alicia the vile woman smirked and turned away, sashaying her hips as she walked. I didn't move despite Alicia's tugging and after a few moments I reluctantly turned and allowed her to walk home with me.

"Is it true?" I asked quietly once we had gotten inside.

Alicia sighed and I knew it was unfair to put her in this position, "I don't know." She admitted looking uncomfortable.

"We've talked about our exes." I paced, ignoring, "Why the hell did he think it was okay to not mention her? What the hell was he thinking being with a woman like her?" I added disgusted. I was beyond furious and Alicia knew it; she stayed quiet, letting me rant for a few moments until I stopped. "You better go; you've only got an hour before night patrol." I sighed.

She smiled sadly and gave me a hug, "Try and calm down before you speak to him." She advised softly, "He loves you, not her."

I smiled stiffly and nodded. I sighed once she had gone and pulled out the plans for the wedding. Since I'd decided leftovers were more than fine for dinner, I set to work on reducing some decisions down to two choices. I knew Taylor wanted to have some input in the decision making since it was his wedding too but I also knew that giving him a long list would be more stressful.

I had been in the process of adding a few touches to the design of the dress I was considering getting Nina to make when I heard the door open. Immediately the familiar shrill laugh of Vivienne filled the house and I froze; she seriously wasn't that stupid, was she? Taylor smiled warmly at me when he walked in and was completely unaware of the frosty look I gave Vivienne. She studied our interaction when he came in and a wicked gleam came into her eye after a few moments.

"No kiss for your fiancée?" She asked Taylor sweetly.

Taylor coughed, looking down at me amused, "We have a bit of a bet going at the moment."

She frowned at his response before looking for something else to attack, "I was expecting to smell one of her wonderful dinners you talk about all the time but re-heated leftovers isn't quite the same, is it?"

Taylor was completely unaware of the snideness of the comment, "Tastes great either way."

"Right, of course." Vivienne flirted, "You should come over one night; you always _loved_ the grilled fish I cooked for you." She stepped loser into the kitchen and placed a hand on his arm, "We hardly get to speak these days."

Taylor was an idiot, I decided. He simply smiled and nodded, "Sounds great."

Vivienne beamed and shot me a triumphant glance, "Nathaniel, I was hoping you'd be willing to let me plan your wedding. I know it's a lot to ask but it just doesn't feel right that I plan everyone else's except yours."

"Not your place to plan it." I said warningly.

Taylor looked at me with a frown "No need to snap." He looked at Vivienne, "I think Bree's slightly too proud to ask for help; she wasn't too eager to plan it in the first place."

"Does that mean I have your permission?" She asked hopefully.

I didn't stick around to hear his answer; I got off the chair and disappeared into the bedroom to throw my bathers on and grab a towel. From the smirk Vivienne was giving me Taylor had clearly said it was okay and I was beyond furious; he frowned when he saw the towel draped over my shoulder.

"Isn't it a bit late for a swim?"

I glared at him, "Well, since I'm apparently no longer planning my own wedding I guess I have all the time, don't I?"

He gaped at me as I left the house but the worst part was he didn't follow. The man was clearly sleep deprived if he thought I'd be happy about the bitch planning my wedding. I ignored everyone I passed, going straight for the pool instead of Boylan's bar where I really wanted to go. I knew alcohol wouldn't fix the problem as much as I wanted it too. I figured going for a swim would clear my head and cool me down; the nights in Terra Nova were getting warmer with each passing day so even though the sun was setting, it was still fairly hot outside.

There was no one at the pool save a few soldiers on patrol. They didn't stop me as I made my way down to the beach; I dumped my towel on the side and dived in. I don't know how many laps I did; all I wanted was to swim until the pain in my chest disappeared. We'd always been honest with each other since we start courting but clearly he didn't think it was necessary to mention these things to me. He knew every detail about my life – every boyfriend, every crush and certainly every man I'd had sex with not that there were many. It was beyond painful that he didn't tell me something that important and then have it thrown in my face.

"Do you plan on getting out any time soon?" I turned to face Taylor, his arms crossed across his chest and he was scowling, "What the hell was that before?"

"You mean me clearly saying I didn't want her planning our wedding or you giving her permission to plan it?" I snapped, not getting out of the water.

He moved his hands to his hips and stared down at me, "She's doing you a favour Bree. You don't even want to plan it!"

"No, I didn't want to be left alone planning it; I wanted you involved and you have been. I don't want the colony's slut fucking up our wedding so she can have another go in bed with you." I snarled, pulling myself out of the water and drying myself off.

Taylor was in front of me quickly, "Vivienne happens to be a good friend of mine so watch what you say." He hissed.

"Oh, I know _exactly_ how good a friend she is." I retorted, "She made it very clear how well you two know each other."

"What? We've never had sex." He said, anger fading from his face and he was looking at me confused, "Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"From her!" I shouted, waving my hands around and beyond pissed, "Do you know how many people I have coming up to me and telling me how she openly goes around discussing how she plans on ruining our wedding? How she already spoke to me before she came crawling to you to let her plan the wedding? How she was _more_ than happy to tell me how you two used to fuck each other?"

"We've never had sex." Taylor said bluntly.

I blinked, my anger fading as confusion took over, "Wait, what?"

"We've never had sex." Taylor repeated slowly. "I don't know where you got that idea from but it's not true."

I gaped at him, "There are several soldiers that heard her say loud and clear..."

"She said that we've had sex?" He asked suddenly furious.

I was slightly startled by the direction our argument had turned to, "Well, she didn't _actually_ say the words...just more insinuated..." I trailed off feeling incredibly stupid the more I realised she never actually _said_ she slept with him. "Why exactly did she think she could get away with saying something like that then?"

He blushed and shifted uncomfortably, "Well, she _may_ have gotten me drunk one night."

"And?" I prodded, raising an eyebrow.

"And there's a reason I don't drink that much normally." He said with a shrug, "According to Boylan the next day she kept ordering double shots and giving them to me. I woke in her bed except we were both dressed so I knew nothing had happened. We both agreed never to speak about it."

"So the bitch lied about it." That pissed me off perhaps even more than thinking that they _had_ had sex.

Taylor did not look impressed and I was actually looking forward to whatever he was going to say to Vivienne. "I'll take care of it."

* * *

_**Week 2: The Problems with Dresses**_

Unfortunately I never got to see Taylor's confrontation with Vivienne but the sight of her slinking around the colony gavoiding eye sight assured me that Taylor had given one heck of a berating. I was definitely glad I missed it but I was too busy continuing my planning; the women that wanted to help made sure to ask me first instead of going around me as they had been when they'd been under the impression that Vivienne was organising things.

Apparently all Taylor needed was to shout at someone who really deserved it for him to stop stressing about the security of the colony; after his 'talk' with Vivienne he was around at his usual hours unless he was doing night shifts. Alicia's hectic hours also calmed and despite this she found every reason possible to get out of the dress fittings that the women organised. She continually asked if she could wear her military uniform and I was wondering if she was desperate enough to beg. It wasn't like I was making her wear some horrible frilly dress that she'd hate; she had even given her reluctant approval of the dress I'd designed and it was anything but horrible. It fell below her knees (she had approved of the length), thin straps that had a sheer material sewn on to create a small sleeve and the deep blue we both chose suited her perfectly. I think she was grumpy about looking like an actual girl in front of her soldiers.

I had given the dress makers the design I wanted; it was a simple dress that dropped down to my ankles. I had tried to ages to convince Taylor to let us have the wedding down by the beach but he'd made Alicia change my mind. Well, she hadn't _really_ changed my mind just told me straight out that under no circumstances would the wedding be down at the beach and that was the end of that discussion. Taylor had look annoyingly smug for the rest of the day when I finally agreed that the wedding could be held out the front of Command central.

Anyway, back to the dress; the material was light and wispy, the soft material falling at random intervals and it reminded me of a fairy dress just without the giant skirt. The bodice of the dress was embroidered and the sleeves sat just off the shoulder. The dress, while still in the process of being made, was something I had designed – not that I was any good at drawing but the dressmaker seemed to be able to make sense of my rough design to draw one up herself. With the wedding only two weeks away now I was getting more worried about the progress of the dress especially when some of the women had been displeased by Vivienne's treatment.

It was just my luck that the dressmaker was friends with the woman but since she was the only one in the village I had no choice but to ask her to make the dress. She had tightened her lips and looked me up and down before nodding stiffly. It didn't take a genius to know she didn't want to help me but word of Taylor's anger at Vivienne had clearly gotten back to her.

I was on my way for a fitting with Alicia; she hadn't been happy at all to be pulled off work for a fitting.

"You could have gone by yourself." She grumbled, walking slowly next to me.

I snorted, "So the woman could spend the next hour deliberately sticking pins in me?"

"She's not that bad." Alicia said rolling her eyes.

"She's one of Vivienne's minions!" I insisted, "She has it out for me; she's probably going to make my dress see through or something."

Alicia grinned, "I don't think Taylor would mind."

"He would if every man in the vicinity could see as well." I muttered and she laughed. "Besides, you haven't tried your dress on since they started making it."

"You know, I don't _have_ to wear a dress." She said nonchalantly, "I could always wear what I'm wearing now; you said the wedding didn't have to be formal..."

"You're wearing the dress." I said firmly.

She muttered something under her breath as we stopped outside the dressmaker, Janet's, house. I knocked, not looking forward to this visit and even less when the door opened and the smile that Janet had vanished the moment she saw it was us at the door. She knew we were coming over and even though she let us in I knew she wasn't happy about it. Alicia followed me inside as Janet led us into the kitchen where we found Vivienne sitting at the counter.

She glared at me, ignoring Alicia completely "What's she doing here?" She asked Janet.

"Taylor asked me to make her dress." Janet admitted with a displeased look.

This could definitely be going better, "Hurry up and let us try the damn dresses on so I can get back to work." Alicia barked, not in the mood to be nice to either of the women.

Janet grudging followed her orders, disappearing into a room while Vivienne continued to glare at me. I ignored her, not caring in the slightest that the woman didn't like me; things will be so much simpler when the wedding was over and done with. I watched as Janet returned with two dress bags and hung them up on a railing in the open living room.

"Put them on." She ordered rudely, returning to her seat next to Vivienne to continue their discussion.

Alicia and I shared a look but did so quickly. I was pleased by the dress so far, the design exactly how I imagined it. Janet reluctantly came over to make a few adjustments and as I predicted prodded my roughly with pins in the process. She didn't dare do that with Alicia; I gave her a grumpy look when Janet declared her dress finished. The fitting was over quickly and in my mind there wasn't much more to do with the dress just fix the hem.

Apparently I was wrong.

Janet gave me an unpleasant smile when I was dressed again, "It seems I'm going to be a bit delayed with finishing your dress."

"Why?" I asked slowly.

She looked down at her fingers and Vivienne smirked into her cup, "I'm busy with more _important_ customers."

I clenched my jaw and went back over to the dress, taking it, "Here are the Terras that you said it would cost." I said gruffly, shoving the money into her hand.

She blinked, clearly not expecting me to take the dress, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not waiting around for you to decide you want to fix my wedding dress." I snapped, "I can finish the rest of it, thanks."

They watched baffled as I turned on my heel and walked out the door with a smirking Alicia following me. Her dress was wrapped over her arm and she thumped me on the back when we were outside and away from the house.

"Can you actually sew?" She asked curiously.

I nodded with a sigh, "It's been a while but I can fix the hem."

"Good luck with that." She muttered.

And luckily for me, fixing the hem _was_ easy. The problem was keeping Taylor distracted long enough to finish it. I'd managed to get Alicia to keep him busy by sparring with him but that didn't last very long; they both returned laughing loudly and covered in mud. Since I had a white dress in my hand I panicked.

"_What the hell are you doing?_" I shrieked.

They froze, their expressions a mix of concern and amusement, "What?" Taylor asked oblivious to the white material I had in my lap.

"Get your dirty clothes off and away from this entire vicinity." I said firmly.

Taylor finally noticed the dress and a wicked look came into his eyes, "You mean I shouldn't go any closer?" He took a large step forward, stopping when I glared, "Show me the dress and I'll back away."

"If you want me to marry you, _you will step away right now_." I said warningly.

He sighed defeated and stepped back, "We're clearly not welcome here Wash." She snickered until he turned back to face me curiously, "Why exactly are you sewing it yourself? I thought Janet was doing it."

Alicia sighed and yanked him out of the house, "Don't ask."

I don't know where they went but by the time I was finished and the dress was safely away in the closet. I considered asking a soldier on patrol where they were but decided against it, not that I needed to. They arrived home, Taylor still covered in mud but laughing hysterically at who knows what. Alicia was clean so I didn't protest when she sat down at the kitchen bench but I gave Taylor a death glare when he went to sit next to her. He looked at me and slowly made his way to the bathroom.

"Good idea." I muttered when he disappeared.

Alicia snorted, "You have him whipped."

I grinned, "Oh don't I know it."

_**Week 3: Screw the bet**_

I needed to take my mind off the wedding; we had only a few days until it was _the_ day and I was getting antsy. Alicia had taken me training to try and take my mind off the impending day but after she'd managed to punch me several times she stopped the session. She had told me that if it had of been anyone else she'd have punched them in the face to get their attention. I didn't doubt for a second that she would and smiled weakly at her; there was no question that any punch by her would leave an ugly mark, one I didn't need the week before my wedding.

It was after one of those particularly stressful days of finalising music and food that I would go home and all I would want was to hug Taylor. Except the moment I walked in the door and he saw my face he would smirk, waiting for me to move forward and touch him that I remembered the bet. Instead I would narrow my eyes and begin dinner if Taylor hadn't already cooked it.

Today was a particularly stressful day all because of Vivienne. The woman was seriously beginning to piss me off; she had somehow managed to destroy all the orders that I had placed in the bakery and somehow had managed to bribe the teenagers that had been helping with the decorations to 'accidentally' rip the streamers and 'misplace' the chairs and tables that they had been assigned to set up. It was beyond frustrating having to go around and physically show them where the tables needed to be.

And Vivienne watched everything with a smirk and snickered every time I walked past her. It was times like these that I wished Taylor wasn't such a decent guy and we could uninvited her to the wedding. She didn't dare try anything when Taylor was around me; she would always smile sweetly and wish him a good day. I was pleased that all she received was a short nod and a tight smile in return.

"Can't we just elope?" I asked Taylor instead of greeting him.

He looked up from the paperwork he had on the bench, his eyebrows raised, "As far as I'm concerned we haven't created a Vegas yet."

I shot him a dirty look, slamming the leftover container on the bench, "Do I look like I'm in the mood for jokes? Is there any chance of me being able to convince you to chuck Vivienne outside the gates?"

Taylor sighed, putting the paperwork down, "What has she done this time?"

"What hasn't she done? She managed to convince those bratty teenagers to set up the tables and chairs _in the middle of the farming area_ and _then_ told the baker that we wanted the food done by tomorrow even though anyone with any semblance of intelligence knows that food will go stale!" I ranted, roughly shoving spoonfuls of leftovers into two bowls.

"Did the kids move the tables and chairs?" He asked wearily.

I ground my teeth together, beyond furious, "Apparently because I teach swimming they're not supposed to like me so they were more than happy to obey Vivienne's every instruction so no, the shits didn't move the tables until I physically started moving them myself." Angry tears started spilling down my cheeks and I swiped them away, "Isn't this supposed to be a happy time? Instead I spend most days wanting to bash my head against a brick wall and get married in secret!"

"Only one more week." He said and I knew he was trying to be comforting but it had the opposite effect.

"Yes, one more week of hell and other disasters Vivienne can come up with to piss me off." I snapped and then took a few calming breaths. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." He said immediately, clearly not wanting to piss me off any more. "Have dinner and then go to bed."

I nodded and ate quickly; all I wanted was for the day to be over and to get through the week as quick as possible. I studied Taylor while I ate; he was too distracted by the paperwork for the next pilgrimage to notice. We'd had this bet going for so long that I think we had both forgotten about it and honestly, I didn't care about whether we waited anymore which was the only reason I did what I did.

I walked around the bench, took the paperwork out of his hand carefully and swivelled his chair around. I stepped closer, still not touching and simultaneously we reached out to one another. I wrapped my arms around his neck while his arms circled my waist. I rested my head again the side of his and sank into the embrace; it felt damn good to touch him and as I leaned back and kissed him the past few weeks disappeared. His beard scraped against my cheek as we kissed and when we broke off the kiss I rested my forehead against his with a smile.

"Better?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Much better." I smiled.

"So who won the bet?" He inquired once he'd pulled me up onto his lap, his arms wrapped around me.

My head was resting against his chest, "I don't think either of us won."

He chuckled, "We'll call it a tie."

"We lasted pretty long." I said as a positive afterthought.

Taylor laughed, "Wash has bets going with some of the boys so she can't know."

I grinned, "I can live with that."

A/N so this is just some bits before the wedding. I had more angst planned for the first week but I decided against it. Hope you like the chapter and thanks for the reviews! Let me know what you think of the chapter!


	19. Chapter 19

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Chapter Nineteen

"Is this _really_ necessary?" I complained as Alicia dragged me to her apartment.

She didn't answer but I didn't expect her too; the final week had passed quickly thankfully and it was the night before our wedding. I had planned on spending it with Taylor, curled up in bed and relaxing before the hectic day that we would wake to but Alicia had a different idea. She had arrived at our place before Taylor had finished work; I had just finished cooking dinner when she strolled inside and I watched slightly confused as she disappeared into my bedroom and emerged moments later with a bag packed and my wedding dress over her shoulder.

I'd had no choice but to allow her to tug me out of the house once she had her hand wrapped around my wrist. The woman wasn't in the army because she fought with flowers and sunshine; the woman had more strength behind her than the majority of the men in the colony. Out of all the women in the colony I never expected Alicia to be the one that followed the tradition of the bride and groom not spending the night together.

"Stop whining and move your ass." She said firmly. She unlocked her front door and only let go of me when I was inside, "No escaping and trying to see him." Alicia said with narrowed eyes, pointing her finger at me.

I pouted, dropping down onto the couch, "You're mean."

"Tell me something I don't know." She grinned. I half expected her to pull out a bottle of alcohol but instead she went to the freezer and brought back a tub of ice cream. "One of the women kindly donated their famous cookie and cream ice cream for our very casual bachelorette party."

"Best idea ever." I said, taking one of the spoons she offered me. "We seriously need more access to ice cream here."

Alicia shrugged, "I don't usually eat it." She looked defensive when I gave her an incredulous look, "Some of us need to stay fit for our jobs."

"That doesn't mean you can't indulge every now and then." I said with a shake of my head. "We need to get you laid." I declared after a moment.

She choked on the ice cream she was eating and after she was done coughing she looked at me indignantly, "What makes you think I can't get myself laid?"

"It might have something to do with the fact that the majority of the men in Terra Nova are terrified of you."

"They are not." Alicia argued. She sat back with a frown, "Really?"

"Are you kidding me?" I snorted, taking another bite of ice cream, "They're well aware that if you can knock Taylor on his ass, then they have no hope in hell if they ever piss you off."

She snickered, "That's true." She paused, thinking over my words, "There are a few men that I've dated here but none of them particularly like being with a woman that works as much as I do."

"Maybe the next pilgrimage will have someone." I shrugged.

"So...when are you going to start calling Nathaniel by his actual name?"

"Shut up."

We went to bed after we had finished the ice cream; we were both extremely full and worn out from laughing at some of the ridiculous stories Alicia had. I fell asleep almost instantly and the only reason I woke was because someone was repeatedly hitting me with something. I swatted at whatever it was, my hand connecting several times with a soft object until I finally sat up.

"Is that _really_ necessary?" I complained, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palm.

Alicia gave me a look that I could almost describe as desperate, "I can't deal with them any longer." She whispered to me, turning slightly to peer over her shoulder. "They're driving me nuts with their giggling and looking at dresses and preparing make up."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked confused.

She yanked me to my feet, ignoring me as I stumbled after and pulled me out into her living room. "Guess who's awake." She called with fake cheerfulness.

I winced as a few squeals erupted from around me and I was suddenly surrounded by a room full of excited women. I noticed they were mainly the swim teachers and a few extras that I knew from the pool but I'd never seen them so...excited. It was rather terrifying seeing all these women swarming around me, some pulling and inspecting my long hair while others commented on how it should be styled. As different women began pulling out make up and holding it against my face I panicked.

"Everybody stop!" I shouted.

I could see Alicia staring over the women looking extremely amused. One woman blinked and said reassuringly, "Don't worry dear; we'll find the right colour for you."

They went to start coming closer with the make-up and I held my hands up and took a step away, "Nobody is coming anywhere near me with make-up!" They shared confused glances, "I appreciate how...eager everyone is to help but it's not necessary..."

"Oh we don't mind." One woman said enthusiastically.

"I'm not finished." I said firmly, "I will be doing my own hair and if I want to wear make-up, I'll put it on myself."

I was met with stunned glances and a few unsure looks. Alicia, I could see, looked like she wanted to cry with relief. The women in the room shifted uncertainly and looked at one another with wounded eyes. I wasn't about to make them feel better by letting them fluff my hair up and pile unnecessary amounts of make-up on my face.

"What do you want us to do then?" Someone asked.

"We could paint your nails." Someone else suggested.

I held up my hands to stop the flow of suggestions, "I don't need help getting ready." I said unable to stop from sounding amused, "I can get dressed myself and get myself ready. There's still several hours until I even need to be ready so I'm going to have some breakfast."

I slipped through the now silent crowd and into the kitchen where Alicia was bracing herself against the counter as she all but pissed herself laughing. I shook my head, wondering how the normally stoic lieutenant could be so weird at times. I made myself breakfast and when I came back into the living room the women were all gone, hopefully to spread their eagerness and squeals to other people in the colony.

Alicia eventually joined me once she stopped laughing long enough to eat something. We sat in peaceful silence, not rushing or feeling panicked by watching faces as we ate.

"You nervous?" She asked quietly.

"Nope." I grinned at her, "Are you?"

"Shut up." She muttered, taking a piece of my toast before I could stop her.

"How long do you reckon it'll take before Taylor gets antsy and tries to sneak OTG?" I asked referring to the promise he'd made me that he would have at least a week off work once we were married.

She didn't miss a beat, "About an hour."

We both snickered and Alicia groaned when she looked at the time on her watch, "We better start getting ready."

"You are aware you're not getting tortured, right?"

She didn't answer but nudged me toward the bathroom. She already knew that I was planning on doing my own hair so I showered quickly while Alicia began straightening her already fairly straight hair. I'd already told her that I didn't care how she did her hair so long as it wasn't in her usual high ponytail. When I was out she hopped in, careful to ensure her hair didn't get too wet while I donned a dressing gown and began drying my hair. It was a painful process, drying my hair but once it was all dry I set to work straightening and curling my hair. Alicia helped with the parts at the back of my head when she was out of the shower and I managed to do the rest; I pinned back the few uncooperative pieces at the front so there were no frizzy pieces sticking out.

I looked down at the simple make-up I had set out on the bathroom counter. With a dejected sigh I quickly applied a light eye shadow, mascara and clear lip gloss. I wasn't someone that wore make-up regularly and I wasn't about to start especially when my skin was already smooth.

"Dress time." Alicia said when I was done. She had already finished her make-up and hair.

I nodded and went into my room where the dress was hanging in the spare closet. I stepped into it, pulling the straps up and holding them in place while Alicia zipped up the dress from the side. The bodice clung to me gently while the skirt billowed out slightly just as I wanted and the off shoulder straps sat in place with the zipper up. I slipped on the simple white shoes, still wishing we were getting married on the beach so I didn't have to wear any shoes at all. I was thankful that I hadn't been forced to wear heels; I'd break my neck before I would get half way down the aisle.

"You ready?" Alicia asked me, now wearing her dress.

I gave one last glance at my reflection before nodding, "Let's go." I murmured.

We walked side by side through the colony which was all but deserted; we could both hear the faint murmuring ahead of us where we knew the rest of the colony was waiting. I smiled at some of the soldiers on patrol, feeling a little guilty that they wouldn't be able to join the celebrations until later when their shifts ended and others took their place.

When we got closer to the makeshift aisle that we were meant to walk down Alicia moved in front of me. She gave me a final smile and squeezed my hand before turning and making her way down the aisle. I smiled at how stiffly she was walking, knowing that there would be more than a few whispers about Lieutenant Washington in a dress. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the slight tremor in my hand at the thought of being stared at by the whole colony before pushing my nerves aside and stepping up to the aisle.

I blushed as everyone turned to stare at me as I walked; it was nerve-wracking having all those eyes following you. I could feel several of the women scanning my dress, hair and make-up with judging eyes and I knew those were the women that were close friends with Vivienne. The previously mentioned woman was standing at the front, her eyes narrowed and an unpleasant sneer plastered on her face. If I wasn't so intent on making this day about Taylor and I then I definitely would have said something about her horrible choice of dress that showed far too much of her chest that I'd care to see.

I looked away from her and up the aisle to where I could see Taylor standing patiently; Alicia was standing opposite him, smiling slightly as she watched me make my way up. I smiled in return and turned my gaze to Taylor; he was wearing his black cargo pants (pretty much the only pair he owned) but instead of his tight muscle shirt he had a formal black, button down shirt and even though the top button was undone, it was the most formal I'd seen him dressed. I knew he was wearing his combat boots and I didn't doubt that somewhere was a knife hidden under his clothes. His hands were behind his back, legs shoulder width apart and he looked exactly like the military man he was and I couldn't be with anyone else.

I took the few short steps I had left until I was standing face to face with Taylor; his large hands encased mine gently, his thumb rubbing the top of my hand tenderly. He was smiling faintly but I could see his eyes alight with happiness and love. He didn't have a best man behind him and that was because we decided Alicia would be both the maid of honour and best man. I remembered the incredulous look we had been given when we told her and she hadn't been impressed when Taylor told her she now had to a best man speech and maid of honour speech.

"Hey." I murmured, smiling brightly at him.

He flashed me a wide grin, "Hi."

The ceremony itself was quite short; there were no overly flowery lines about loving each other forever or stories about how we met and the undying love we had. It was simple and exactly what we both wanted and soon enough we were declared married, each sliding a ring onto the other's finger and kissing sweetly while the crowd behind us cheered and whistled.

"You're going to have to stop calling me Taylor now." Taylor – _Nathaniel_ smirked.

I rolled my eyes and looped my arm through his, "Don't make me smack you in front of everyone."

He chuckled, tugging me closer, "Yes dear."

I laughed and allowed him to lead me over to the table where our marriage certificate was waiting; Alicia was signing as one witness and we had asked Mark, who I had become good friends with, to be the other witness. They stood on either side of us while we signed and they took our places when we got up and moved away to let them sign.

While they were busy Taylor leaned down to whisper in my ear, "You look beautiful."

I blushed in response and stepped closer so his arm was wrapped around my shoulder and keeping me close to his side. My arm went around his waist and I rested my head gently on his chest; I was well aware of the various people snapping photos of us and I had been informed that any couple that got married left the photo-taking up to the guests. That way they (and we) would get a range of different photos of not only us but everyone in the colony. It didn't bother me; the last thing I wanted was to make sure that I got photos of everyone while trying to have a good time.

Alicia looked like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was when the women insisted the four of us stand together for a photo. I gave her a look and she smiled nicely for the photo when the women began snapping away; the sooner they were happy, the sooner we could go and relax.

When they were satisfied Alicia and I sigh with relief simultaneously; Taylor kept his hand firmly on mine as we walked to our table, refusing to let go even when various people pulled me in for unnecessary hugs. I wanted to smack Alicia when she coughed to hide her laughter but Taylor managed to politely get me away from the hordes of well wishers. It's not that we didn't appreciate their congratulations it was more that we wanted to be alone for a few moments and just when we thought we'd get those moments we were interrupted.

"Nathaniel, I must say you look dashing." Vivienne squealed as she came up to us. She stopped in front of Nathaniel closer than I liked and my eyes narrowed dangerously as she reached up to brush some imaginary piece of dust off his shirt. "A bit informal for your wedding, I must say."

Taylor smiled stiffly, "If you'll excuse..."

"And that ceremony was just boring." Vivienne continued, taking a seat next to Taylor, "I know it's rude to say but there could have been more...romance."

I moved so she could see me, "If you don't mind Vivienne, we want to be alone for a few minutes,"

She waved my not so subtle hint for her to leave us alone away, "You'll have plenty of time to be alone. And I must say, your dress Brianna" She tsked disapprovingly, "Janet worked so hard on that dress and to see you ruin her design is just horrifying."

I cradled my head in my hand, my elbow resting on the table and sighed agitatedly as she continued to rant and point out all the negative aspects of our wedding. Taylor couldn't do anything rash – he was still the leader of the colony and he had to make sure the people trusted them – so he remained stoically silent, glaring angrily at her. A few friends were watching us concerned and it wasn't until someone went to Alicia and whispered in her ear that I felt relief coursing through me. Alicia whipped her head around, her eyes narrowing in on Vivienne and politely excused herself as she left her conversation to head over to us. Vivienne didn't see her coming, too wrapped up in her bitching to notice the very annoyed and angry Lieutenant all but storming over to us. The majority of the colony watched as Alicia grabbed the scruff of Vivienne's neck and hauled her out of her chair.

"Why don't we leave the newlyweds alone?" Alicia said with fake cheerfulness.

As Vivienne screeched unpleasantly while Alicia dragged her away from us more than a few of the onlookers snickered to each other. It seems that Vivienne had pissed off her fair share of people in the colony throughout her rampage to get Taylor's interest.

I saw Taylor nod his head appreciatively at Alicia when she headed back to the person she had been talking with before dragging Vivienne away. She smirked in response and together Taylor and I laughed; she'd been dying for an excuse to throw Vivienne on her ass and it made up for being forced to wear a dress in front of everyone.

I sighed with relief and slumped back in my chair, my hand curling around Taylor's. "We're not getting out of bed unless it's for food and showering." I murmured to him, resting my head on his shoulder.

He chuckled, kissing the top of my head, "How long is this lasting for?"

"Since you only have the ability to sit still for a total of five minutes only – tomorrow morning." I grinned, tilting my head up to look at him.

"Thanks." He said dryly, leaning down to kiss me softly.

He pulled away when a hesitant voice called out, "Commander Taylor?"

I looked over to see a young teenager standing in front of us; she was smiling despite the blush on her cheeks. I remembered her from the swimming pool; she'd taken the mandatory swim lessons with other teenagers in the colony.

"Hello Skye." Taylor said warmly.

"I just wanted to say congratulations." She said still smiling brightly at us.

"Thank you Skye." I smiled back.

She gave a little wave and headed back to her friends just as Alicia plopped down on the seat next to me, "I hate dresses." She growled under her breath, taking a glass of alcohol and gulping it down.

"It's not that bad." I rolled my eyes.

"They're going to have _evidence_." She said sounding disgusted, "They're taking pictures of me _in a dress_."

"You're such a sook sometimes." I muttered.

Taylor snorted into his drink while Alicia glared at me, "The only reason I'm not smacking you is because it's your wedding day." She hissed.

The day continued smoothly much to my relief; Vivienne didn't show her face again and I was certain Alicia had something to do with that. I all but forgot about her as the day went on; we listened to the dry speech Alicia gave that had most people in stitches when she revealed how I had kicked Taylor in the balls the first time we met. A few other people got up to say how happy they were for their Commander to finally settle down and a few of the soldiers even gave a speech.

The day was amazing – perfect but we were both eager to get home and celebrate privately. I'd been hanging on since we got engaged to finally have sex and as promised, tonight was the night. I knew he was just as eager as I was because when it came to finally leaving he hauled me over his shoulder and bid everyone goodnight.

My face was bright red as he carried me down the path to our home and I smacked his ass a couple of times to get his attention, "You can put me down now!"

"Isn't it tradition to carry the bride over the threshold?" He asked amused.

I groaned but didn't argue; he wasn't exactly being strictly traditional about things but I figured I'd let him have his way. My feet were killing me and I wanted to save my energy for the activities to come, if you know what I mean. I giggled as Taylor unlocked the door and before I knew it, he had dumped me on the bed and was looking down at me with a sly grin. I pulled him down for a kiss, groaning when he responded eagerly and I felt his hands reach around and pull down the zipper on my dress.

My hands fumbled with the buttons on his shirt but I managed to un-do them all and push the shirt off his shoulders. My hands, on their own accord, went to his belt and began taking it off, pulling the belt out of the loops holding it in place. Taylor pushed my hands away to reach down and carefully peel my dress off of me; his hands would brush against the bare skin of my leg as he did so. When the dress was finally off and he dumped it to the side he stared down at me and I didn't need him to be pressed up against me to know he was excited.

I groaned as he dived down to kiss me fiercely, his hands flying across my body until his lips trailed down to my breasts. I gasped as he sucked one nipple into his mouth, his calloused fingers pinching and tugging at my other. My head lolled back onto the pillow and I couldn't do much more than whimper as he switched to the other nipple before his lips trailed down my stomach. My hands reached down and continued tugging at his pants until I had the button and zipper undo; I yanked down his pants and for a moment I was slightly nervous about the next few moments. He was...larger than any other guy I'd been with and it had been a while since I'd been with another man.

He distracted me though, settling his body on top of mine and if I thought he had exceptional body heat while clothed, he was a ball of heat with no clothes on. He went right back to kissing every part of my body he could get too while my hands trailed down his body until they reached his very stiff shaft. The moment my hands brushed against him he groaned loudly, burying his face into the crook of my neck.

"Bree." He pulled away to look in my eyes.

My eyes mirrored the love and want that his were directing at me, "I love you."

With that Taylor gently eased into me, taking his time and although I knew it was difficult for him, he managed to wait until I had adjusted to his length and thickness. When he was completely sheathed in me we both let out shaky breaths and after a short pause he began to move. With each thrust – big and small – I could feel the beginnings of my orgasm rising. As he sped up, he lent down to pull me into a searing kiss, blocking both of our moans.

"Bree." He groaned when he broke the kiss, his arms the only thing keeping his weight off of me.

"Nathaniel..." I moaned and shuddered as I came violently.

He finished not long after, spilling into me before collapsing on top of me. We were both panting and covered in a thin sheen of sweat but when we caught our breath we beamed at each other. He adjusted so he was lying next to me, propped up on his elbow while his other hand skimmed over my face.

"I love you." He murmured.

I smiled, "I love you too."

"Worth the wait?" He smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "Shut up." I pulled him back down for a deep kiss.

The day was more than perfect.

A/N hope everyone likes the chapter. Thanks for the reviews – let me know what you think. I'm fairly certain there's only going to be an epilogue after this and then I'll be putting up the sequel.


	20. Chapter 20

I own nothing other than bits of the plot and Brianna

Epilogue 

I had been right in saying that Taylor – _Nathaniel_ hadn't been able to sit around and relax for very long. He managed to last until the day after we were married, just after lunch; I had fallen asleep on the couch and when I woke, he was gone. I remembered the fleeting panic until I found a note lying on the kitchen bench and involuntarily a smile crept onto my face as I read it:

_Wife,_

_I heard somewhere that it was custom for the men to do the hunting. If not, too bad; I got bored._

_Your ever loving __**husband**__,_

_Nathaniel_

It was definitely something he would write and instead of being annoyed I felt amused. I had expected his disappearance and I had even reserved a rover for him for when he would undoubtedly escape the colony and most likely go fishing. It was his 'honeymoon' after all.

He'd come home smelling distinctly like fish and I screwed up my face at the horrible stench. I refused to touch him until he'd showered, not giving in even as he pouted at me. Unsurprisingly, we'd had fish for dinner that night.

"How long are honeymoon's supposed to go for?" Taylor asked me later in bed.

We were both still panting and covered in sweat, "I don't know. Why?" I murmured, rolling so I was curled into his side.

His arm immediately wrapped around me out of habit, "Just wondering."

"Alicia is handling the colony for at least three days." I said firmly, opening one eye to look up at him, "You can spend three days doing nothing."

"I doubt we'll be doing nothing." Taylor smirked, nudging me gently.

While we had been pretty good with refraining from sex before we were married, it definitely wasn't the case now. Taylor found any chance he could to jump me whether it was in the kitchen while I was trying to cook dinner or in the shower. He'd been unable to resist going for his morning jog and when he returned he dived back into bed with me, ignoring my sleepy protests at his smell and icy skin.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Taylor and Alicia froze and turned to face me with guilty expressions; my hands were on my hips and I was glaring at them.

"How _old_ are you two? Seriously!" I shouted beyond frustrated.

While it was our last day for our honeymoon Taylor had managed to disappear, leaving no note or explanation as to where he was. I'd had my suspicions about where he could have disappeared too but seeing him and Alicia hop out of the rover that just pulled back inside the gates was pushing my restraint. I'd had promises from both of them that they wouldn't disappear OTG without at least letting me know beforehand.

"I thought you said she wouldn't find out?" Alicia muttered to Taylor, neither moving a muscle as they watched me curiously.

"I can hear you." I snarled. "Get home now; both of you!" I ordered, pointing in the direction of our home.

I watched, inwardly pleased as they skulked down the path guiltily. There were a few chuckles from the soldiers around and I smirked at them. I turned on my heel and followed the two down the path and into the house. They plopped down on the couch and the matching expressions of innocence had me narrowing my eyes.

"Alicia," I began looking at her, "Why don't you tell me the promise both you and Taylor made before the wedding?" My voice was deceptively calm.

She winced, breaking her innocent expression, "Not to go OTG until Taylor was back on duty."

"Taylor," I addressed my still wide-eyed and innocent husband, "Want to tell me why that promise was broken?"

"I had my fingers crossed behind my bag?" He suggested hopefully.

"Try again." I growled.

His facade dropped and he pouted at me, "We weren't gone that long!"

Alicia snickered as I lunged at him, smacking him while he tried to defend himself, "_Don't be a smart ass with me!"_

"Alright woman!" He rubbed his arm where I slapped him repeatedly, "We're sorry."

"Oh you will be." I promised. I looked at Alicia, "You are on pool duty for the next two weeks." She grumbled but didn't argue, "And you," I looked back to Taylor, "Are now on dinner duty and dish duty until I say otherwise."

"That's hardly fair." He protested.

I gave him a look, "Stiff shit."

* * *

A/N here's a look at the next story.

Taylor didn't ask when he was off dinner or dish duty but as the date for the next pilgrimage came closer and closer I let him off the hook. It was only fair since Alicia had finished her punishment a week ago.

He was surprised to find me cooking hwen he came home from a long shift; the pilgrimage was arriving tomorrow and he'd spent the day trying to inspect all the new accommodation for the new arrivals as well as ensure the security team was prepared.

He kissed the back of my neck, wrapping his arms around my waist, "Hello wife."

I smiled; we'd been married for just over a month now and he still liked calling me that. "How was work?" I asked.

"The new houses are ready and Wash and Guzman are taking out the welcoming party for the pilgrimage."

I only hummed in response; I was exhausted for some reason. It wasn't that I was necessarily doing more work; I still did the same shifts by the pool but I had been required to make up mandatory classes for the newcomers, especially those that had children coming with them. I didn't know what was making me so tired and nearly every morning I'd woken feeling nauseated. Taylor knew nothing about that of course; he knew I was tired but not that I'd been throwing up. The man had no boundaries when it came to worrying about me and if I wasn't careful I'd be stuck in bed for the next month because of some unreasonable worry he had.

As Taylor moved away to get himself cleaned up before dinner I started thinking of what it could be that had me so unwell. I wasn't coming down with a cold; I didn't have food poisoning because everything that I'd eaten so had Taylor. I remembered my sister-in-law describing her first few months of pregnancy...

Oh shit.

A/N sorry this chapter was a little bit everywhere. I didn't know quite how to end it seeing as I'm starting the sequel. Hopefully it should be up either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for everyone following this story and reviewing! Hope you've liked it!


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